Fallen Hero
by freakyanimegal
Summary: The story of 'Mithos the Hero' is well known, how the hero that saved, but then turned, on the world. What isn't well known is how he met his friends, what he thought of them, and how they got where they are.. Complete
1. Chapter 1

**I did it again. I broke my story limit again. This time by... well, let me count... Okay, I've got **

**'Grandkid', 'Legend of Kratos', 'Plot Twist', 'Role Reversal', 'Bloopers', 'I wish', and I've got **

**'Kharlan Kindergarten' which I have to get with my cousin to write...now this one...**

**HOLY CRAP THAT'S EIGHT STORIES!!!! Ugh... You guys better appreciate this...**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except a LOT of stories to update... **

My sister... she was the only one who understood me. Ever. Now, as my conciousness fades

from the world, these are my final thoughts. I remember how it all started...how we all met...

"Mithos!"

Martel got between me and the elder, taking the hit from his staff.

"S-sis!"

"You half-elves have no place here!" the elder snarled. "Now, go! Begone!"

I remember her face, Martel gritted her teeth to stop from crying. I remember the look in her eyes.

They were helpless looking, she had completely given up hope, even since then... Still, all I could do

was sit there, whimpering like a baby, cowering as we were abused like this. Dad didn't do anything, I

remember, he was watching with the rest of the elves as they banished us. I wanted to beg him, I

wanted him to make them leave us alone, but all he did was stare with that look, like he was dead.

"Leave her alone you old bat!" Yuan snapped.

I remember him very well, how he was back then. That's before he started wearing his hair back,

before he got that stupid cape, he was just a typical half-elf, like us, except he always had a temper...

"UGH!"

I remember feeling the ground jolt as he hit it with a thud, I remember how the crickets jumped out of

the grass from his face, fleeing the crashing 'giant'.

"This is your last chance, half-elves, leave."

Martel stood up, I remember, she was shaking, crying, but she stood up. I remember how she turned

to me, forcing herself to smile, blood coming from her lips.

"Come on...Mithos..." she whispered. "Let's...find someplace...better..."

I remember Yuan, how he got up on his hands and knees, coughing up saliva.

That was the first time I realized he was different, there was a look in his eyes, it was so

determined, so fierce, yet...they were watering... He got up too, and turned to me and Martel.

"Let's go." he snapped. "Let's leave these freaking racists."

I remember he picked me up and put me on my feet, I was too scared to stand up to that moment.

"Come on..." Martel whispered, tears streaming down her face.

I remember Yuan spat at the elves as we left, then let out a wave of curses. How old were we? I don't

remember anymore...Oh yeah, I was twelve, Martel was twenty-two, and Yuan was twenty-four.

Which was pretty much kids for elven blood...I was practically a new-born. I remember how we

stumbled out of the forest, and right into the battlefield. It was the Kharlan war, Tethe'alla and

Sylvarant. I remember the people shouting, screaming, blood flying everywhere, swords clanging and

armor clinking, soldiers slicing though anothers throat.

"Mithos! Run!" 

I remember we ran as fast as we could, away from the battle, away from the sounds of death. That's

when it happened. I remember, as if slow motion, a man in red armor lunged his sword at me, I felt

sure I was going to die right there. That I was going to die...but that's when he came.

CLANG! 

The new soldier, a man in blue armor, had sliced the first man in half. As in, head to foot, in half, blood

spurting everywhere. The blue-armored man's helmet had fallen off, he was pretty young for a soldier I

thought, mid-twenties, a young man, even by human standards. He had red hair, and a battle aura that

paralyzed me in my tracks. He looked at us, at me.

"What the hell are you doing out here?!" he snapped. "This isn't a play ground!! Get the hell out!"

"What do you think we're TRYING to do?!" Yuan snarled at him. 

The man groaned and let out a loud whistle. Out of the sky came a gigantic bird, it was green

and white, and large enough for me to ride on it's back.

"Noishe!" he snapped at it. "Take the kid and get out of here! You other two! Run!"

It happened so fast, my sister forced me on the bird, which took off into the air, leaving me clinging to

it's neck, crying. I wanted to go back, I wanted to go back for my sister. It seemed like such a short

time, but I'm sure it was longer, when we landed, far away... Noishe nudged me off his back.

"AH!" I landed on the ground, brusing my knees.

"Scwreeee?" he said, a sound like a cross between a whistle and a chirp.

"What...are you...?" I stammered, pale.

I didn't get an answer right then, that's when Martel, Yuan, and the other soldier came through the

bushes. Martel immediately hugged me, sobbing, Yuan stayed back, watching us.

"What in the hell where you doing out there?"

We turned to the soldier that had saved us, he was wiping his sword on some ferns. Wiping blood.

"W...we..." I stammered.

"We were expelled from our village." Yuan said bitterly. "We had no idea the battle was so close..."

"Expelled? What on Symphonia for?" he asked.

I remember how silent it was, we didn't want to tell him we were...what we were. Half-elves...

"We're..." Yuan muttered.

"Half-elves?" the man's eyes narrowed.

I remember how we all flinched, afraid, would he kill us?

"What of it?" he shrugged.

I remember that my jaw dropped.

"Y-you don't care?!" I blurted.

"...Should I?" he asked. "You're people. That's that."

Nosihe made an insulted sound.

"I apologize, Noishe, protozoans are people too."

"Protozoan?!" Yuan went bug-eyed. "Wow! I've never seen a real one!"

I was still gaping at the soldier. I was amazed, that there was someone like this, someone who didn't

hate us, someone this... I don't know the word. I just knew something, I wanted to be like him. I

wanted to be able to protect people, and to be so...kind? Is that what it was? 

"Sir...you...you saved me." I stammered.

"What of it?" he asked. "Soldiers should never attack civilians."

"Thank you..." I whispered.

"..." his eyes widened, and I saw a smile slip into his lips. "You're...very welcome."

"What's your name?" I asked. "If I can ask that?"

"Give me your name and I'll give you mine." he smirked.

And that's how it all started...

**Short, I know, but...eh, I just really wanted to write it. If you want me to continue, tell me, if **

**not, then I'll just keep it here as a oneshot.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well well well... Look at the reviews. Hm, this might be one of my more popular ones after all.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. But don't hold that against the plot, please.**

I remembered back then, how much I looked up to him.

"Yuan, get the fire wood."

"Damn it, get it yourself, human!"

"All right, and I'll leave Noishe here with you." 

Noishe snapped his beak at Yuan.

"Sheesh! Fine!"

"Thank you so much for helping us, Kratos." Martel smiled.

"It's nothing." he said. "I'll escort you to town as soon as it's light again."

"Don't soldiers have to stay on the battle field, or they're deserters?" Yuan snapped.

"...Would you rather I leave you here?" he glared.

"No!" Martel cried. "I mean, no, please bear with us." 

Personally, I wanted him to stay with us. I was...scared, to tell the truth, if he wasn't there to

protect us, who knows what might have happened? That and...well...

"What're you doing?" I asked him as he ran a stone against his sword.

"Keeping the blade sharp," he stated simply. "It will get dull if you don't do this once in a while."

"...Is it scary?" 

I remember how he looked at me then, as if he didn't know what I was asking.

"To have to kill people." I finished.

"..."

He was silent for a few minutes, then sighed.

"Let me tell you something, kid." he stated. "Courage isn't something you have, it's something you

decide. I didn't go to war because I felt like it, I went because my family needed me to."

"You didn't answer me," I pressed. "Does it scare you?"

"...I try not to think of it." he whispered sadly.

"Mithos!" Martel snapped. "Leave Kratos alone!"

"But sis-!" 

Martel pulled me away and then turned to Kratos.

"I'm very sorry sir," she apologized. "My brother can be quite nosy..."

"It's no problem," he said. "And please, don't call me sir, just Kratos."

"Hey!" Yuan called. "I got your fucking firewood!" 

"YUAN! WATCH YOUR MOUTH!" Martel snapped.

"Yeah yeah," Yuan dumped the wood in front of Kratos. "Wouldn't want to sound rude to him, huh?"

"What-?" Martel blinked.

"Ah, nothing." he snapped, then went off to sulk somewhere.

Martel may not have go it, but I did. Yuan was jealous. Kratos was strong, mature, kind, and Martel

seemed to like him, that got Yuan tense. He always liked Martel, for as long as I can remember...

"Mithos, could you help me?"

"Huh?" I blinked, looking at Kratos.

"I need some twigs for a starting fire, would you mind gathering some?"

"Sure!" I grinned.

I was really happy, it was the first time I remember where I got to help someone. In fact...

Maybe I forgot what it felt like...

"Be careful, Mithos!" Martel called after me.

"Don't worry, sis!"

I went picking through the underbrush, it was almost nightfall, so it was hard to see, but I made

sure I could still see the others. After collecting the twigs I ran back to Kratos.

"Here you go, Mr. Kratos!" I smiled.

"Thank you." he smiled back.

"No problem! I was getting bored anyway..." I laughed nervously.

"...Try to forget it."

"Huh?"

"What you saw today." Kratos stated. "What I did...forget it." 

"Huh?" I gaped. "But you were amazing! You saved me, us!"

"...I don't want you to live with the memory of a murder."

"Murder?" I blinked. "But, it's war, so you have to kill..."

"Is killing any different from murder?" he sighed. "I don't know...it bothers me..."

"Mithos!" Martel called. "Are you bothering him AGAIN?!"

I remember her dragging me off by my ear, while I tried to stutter that I wasn't bothering him. After a

few minutes, we had a big fire going, crackling warmly. However...

"Sis, I'm hungry." I whined.

I heard her stomach rumble. "...Just wait a little longer, Mithos."

"..." 

Kratos walked over to Noishe, and that's when I noticed a bag around the protozoans leg. Kratos

untied the bag and threw me one of it's contents. A bagel.

"You have food?!" I gasped.

"Catch." 

He tossed a bagel to Martel, who caught it, and Yuan, who took a hit to the head.

"OW! You did that on purpose!" 

"Is it my fault you have horrible reflexes?" Kratos sighed.

"Nope. It's just because he's a weakling!" I laughed. "Or 'physically limited', whatever it is he says."

"Mithos!" Martel scoffed.

I practically passed out at the look Yuan gave me after that.

"By the way..." Yuan asked Kratos. "How do you have a protozoan? I thought they were endangered."

"Found him." Kratos shrugged. "I was camping with my brother, and I stumbled across his nest."

Noishe made the weird chirping sound at him, like he was scolding him.

"...All right, it wasn't 'stumbled' it was more like 'trip and fall into a ditch'." Kratos sighed.

Yuan and I snorted to contain our laughter, Martel snickered.

I munched into the bagel ravenously, trying to fill my empty stomach.

"Slow down." Kratos said. "You'll choke."

"I will no- ACK!"

I started coughing, Martel hit me on the back.

"UGH!" I coughed up the chunk. "Man...thanks, Sis."

Night came quickly, and soon we were off to sleep...off to a nightmare...

Screams- clangs- blood-

"UAH!" I jerked upright, sweating.

"Are you all right?" Kratos asked, waking up.

"I-I'm fine..." I muttered. "I just had a-"

"Nightmare?" he muttered. "Yes...most people do."

"...How...do you live with it?" I asked him, his eyes sad.

"...I try to forget it." he said, shifting his scabbard to make himself more comfortable.

"...Why do you do it?" I asked, looking at the sword. "If you don't want to, then why...?"

"..."

Kratos looked up at the stars, as if off in his own little world.

"Go to sleep." he said. "You'll need the rest for tommorow."

"But-"

"You want to get out alive, don't you?" 

"Y-yes sir..."

"Don't call me sir." he snapped. "I mean...just go to sleep, all right?"

I laid back down, relunctantly closing my eyes. I wondered what it is he fought for, what it is that

drove him to do such horrible things, things he hated to do. Oh well...I'd find out eventually...

I remember when I did find out, and I was stunned...

**Man, these chapters are short...Please bear with me, I'll make the next one long.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hm...you know, this is my first multi-chapter angst story. Hm...**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. (Now THAT'S angst!)**

The next moring, we woke up at the crack of dawn. You know, I always knew the sun rose in

the morning, and set at night, but I never actually SAW it rise until then. That's not gratitude speaking.

"Mithos!" Martel huffed. "Get up! We have to get going!"

"Two more minutes..." I mumbled.

"HEY! BRAT! GET UP!" Yuan roared.

"OOOWW!!!" I sat up, clutching my ears. "You jerk! I oughtta-!"

"Be quiet, both of you!" Kratos snapped. "We're still not far from the battlefield."

I shut my mouth, scared.

"Now," Kratos said. "All of you stay behind me, be as quiet as possible."

"Where are we going, anyway?" Martel asked.

"The closest town is Karfist." Kratos told us. "It's a farming hamlet, a good place to lay low."

"What are you going to do after that?" I asked.

"Get back to the battlefield, I suppose." he sighed. "It's my duty, after all."

What would WE do, was what I was wondering. Even in a new town, wouldn't we just get chased out

again for being half-elves? Or maybe we could hide it...even then, what would we do with our lives?

Farm? That idea didn't really 'spark' to me. I don't like animals... After we traveled for what felt like

days, we came into view of a small town, with farmland all around it.

"Here we are." Kratos stated, walking in with us trailing behind him.

"Wow..." I looked around.

For such a small place, there was activity everywhere, people walking by with wheelbarrows full of

crops, people tending the animals, working the fields...

"Isn't it pretty?" Martel asked.

"Pssh. Pretty lame." Yuan muttered.

"It's quiet." Kratos nodded. "But...it's a wonderful place to live."

"...You've been here before?" I asked.

"Well-"

"Kratos? Is that you?"

A young woman ran up to Kratos, she was about Martel's age, wearing what was suppossedly ideal

farming outfit. She had a small apron, and brown pants that reached her knees, a plain, yet patched and

worn, white shirt. Which I guess would be expected here. She had a big grin on her face.

"Mae!" Kratos grinned, holding his arms wide.

The woman gave him a hug, squeazing him.

"You're alive!"

"Well, of course I am." Kratos laughed. "I told you I'd be back!" 

"You went to fight! Do you know how WORRIED I was?!" she spazzed.

"Well...Oh. Mae? There's some people I want you to meet." he turned to us.

"Oh? Who are you guys?" she asked.

"My name is Martel, and this is my brother, Mithos." Martel told her.

"Hi." I waved.

"And this is Yuan." Martel looked at Yuan, who grunted.

"Nice to meet you." Mae smiled.

"Are you his lover?" Yuan looked at Mae.

"What?!" both red-heads gasped. "NO!"

"He's my BROTHER." Mae snapped. 

"Oh? This is your sister, Kratos?" Martel asked.

"Yes." Kratos nodded.

"Uh-huh." Mae smiled. "I was SO worried! I woke up a few weeks ago and all there was on the table

was a note! Kratos left to join the army while I was SLEEPING!"

"Hey, you didn't care when Lartan went." Kratos snorted.

"I did too! It's just I- Wait, did you see him out there?" Mae asked.

"Huh?" I asked, looking at Kratos.

"No." Kratos told her. "I don't know where Lartan went..."

"Oh." Mae muttered, looking depressed.

"That reminds me." he said. "Do you think these three could stay with you a while?"

"Hm? Well sure- Wait a minute! Aren't you staying?!"

"Well...no. I have to go back, it's my duty-"

"DUTY, SHMOOTY!" she shouted. "I'm not letting you go back!" 

Kratos sighed. "Look, I'll stay for tonight, then I'll go back, all right?"

It was funny, how they acted. Kratos' sister was so protective, kinda like Martel. I think all sisters are

like that...I mean, Raine's like that too...

Mae sighed. "I can't stop you, can I Kratos?" 

"I don't think so." he shook his head.

"...All right..." she muttered. "Just...don't die, okay?"

"Don't plan to." he smirked. "Now...let's take them home, shall we?"

"Oh! Right!" she turned to us. "Well? Let's go!"

We followed the farm-hand a ways until we came to a big cottage. It was cute I thought, little

flower boxes were in the windows, and a small fence surrounded the yard.

"We've got plenty of room!" Mae smiled as we walked up to it. "I mean, it's just me and my brothers.

Well...just me and you guys, for now..."

"You all live together?" Yuan blinked. "You're all of age, why do you still-?"

"We- Well...we like to stay together." Mae said.

"It was our father's wish." Kratos told us. "He wanted us to stay together, to take care of each other.

And then of course, he told us not to let Mae out of our sight until she married..."

"Yeah yeah yeah..." she huffed. "Old coot...Anyway! Come on in!" 

The house looked like it had about four rooms, and a large living/dining room. It was a nice little house,

with a small coffee table and a few chairs by the fire place.

"My room is the first on the right." she said. "Martel? You and your brother can have the extra

room, it's right next to mine. And Yuan, was it? You can sleep in Lartan's room for now."

"It's right next to mine." Kratos told him. "Come on, I'll show you."

"I can find it by myself!" Yuan snapped.

"They don't get along too well, do they?" Mae sighed.

"No," I laughed. "It's just no one gets along with Yuan!"

"Shut up, brat!" he snapped at me.

Kratos smiled brightly, I guess he enjoyed having company. Or maybe he was just happy to be home.

"Now Kratos, get out of that armor!" Mae snapped. "It's SO uncomfortable looking."

"What-?" Kratos blinked. "But I-"

"You can just get back into it later." she scoffed. "I'll go get your extra clothes. Change in your room."

Mae ran up the stairs, Kratos sighed.

"She's just as controlling as ever..." he shook his head. "Well, make yourself at home."

Kratos walked upstairs after Mae, leaving us to look around.

"It's such a nice little place..." Martel smiled, looking at the kitchen.

"We get to be farmers, joy." Yuan muttered, leaning against the wall.

"Well...it's not THAT bad, right?" I said. "I mean...Mae seems nice, and well...farming might be fun!

Much better than studying magic day in and day out..."

"Well..." Yuan shrugged. "That's true, and...well, at least there're no elves around here."

I flinched. I mean, I halfway agreed with him, but...even if Dad did...let us get pushed out, he was still

my Dad, and he was an elf...

I wish I knew where Mom was...maybe she'd have been able to knock some sense into

him...but it was...too late now...wasn't it?

I remember...it was always too late...it was too late then...it was too late now...

"...Yuan? What...are we going to do, from now on?" I asked.

"We'll make the most of it." Martel said. "It's a fresh start! We can- we can shape our own lives!" 

"...Farming isn't what I wanted for my life..." Yuan muttered to himself.

I felt bad for him. I mean...Yuan was a genius, he had such high hopes, dreams, then...he lost it all.

I heard footsteps, Kratos came down the stairs, wearing something that I continued to blackmail him

with up until...well...up until he betrayed me... Kratos was wearing tan overalls and a bright red

shirt, with patches in various places on his pant legs- Wait a minute!! Is THAT where Lloyd got the

horrible fashion sense?! Holy cow... It makes sense now! Hey, that rhymed...er...anyway...

I snickered. "Uhm..."

"What?" he asked, looking oblivious. "What's so funny?"

"Um..." Martel snickered. "You look...different, out of armor..."

Yuan came right out and laughed. "Wow! And here I thought you were some cool knight!"

"Yuan!" Martel snapped.

"He's just a farmboy!" Yuan laughed, clutching his gut.

"Huh? Well...yeah..." Kratos blinked. "So?"

Yuan laughed so hard he fell on the ground, Martel was giggling wildly.

"Okay..." Kratos blinked again. "Hey, Mithos! Want to see how to milk a cow?" 

I can't believe what I said.

"Sure!" I grinned.

"Great!" he smiled. "Come on, the animals are out back."

"Okay! Bye, Sis!" I waved, following him outside.

Kratos and I walked outside and he showed me a large brown animal.

"Hey Bessie," he patted the beast. "Ya miss me?"

Bessie let out a loud moo, tail flipping around happily.

"Ha hah!" he laughed. "Good girl!"

"Wow! That's a cow?!" I gasped.

I'd...never seen one before, heh...they were really WEIRD, I mean, I thought that Bessie was weirder

than Noishe at the time. I mean, I'd studied protozoans, I'd never even SEEN a cow!

Kratos laughed. "Yep. This is a cow. Where'd you think people get milk?"

"Uh..." I trailed off.

It was really...weird, looking back now. I had so much fun learning how to milk a cow, and then

Kratos taught me other stuff about the farm. Like how to collect eggs, and feed the pigs, and pitch

hay... I mean, I thought Kratos was the coolest guy in the world. He was strong, he was smart, he had

the nicest laugh, and he knew everything, it seemed. I wanted to be just like him.

...Pssh...it's ironic how things turn out...

"Want to see the horses?"

Ah...horses...I loved those animals. But NOOOO, they had to go extinct two-thousand years ago...

"WOAH!" I gaped. "They're huge!"

"Well, to a little guy like you, they would be." Kratos smirked.

"Hey!" I laughed, throwing hay at him.

"Ha hah!" he grinned. "You'll pay for that!"

We had a fight, throwing hay at each other and dodging behind haystacks. By the end of it, we had

hundreds of pieces stuck in our hair, and we were laying down on some bundles of hay, looking up at

the bright blue sky. I was...happy, I mean, I'd never had that much fun before. Elves are kinda...strict.

"Whew..." I smiled. "You humans sure are wild."

"Huh? Oh yeah, you're a half-elf." Kratos said. "I forgot."

"Huh-?" I gaped. "You forgot?!"

"Yeah...so?" 

I remember staring at him, I mean, I thought...everyone hated us...

Kratos looked up at the sky, sighing to himself. "Man..."

"Huh? What is it?" I asked, looking up too.

"Oh, nothing..." he sighed. "It's just...well, I kinda have this obsession..."

"What? For the sky?"

"No, silly." he laughed. "For flying."

"Flying?"

It was so ironic...even then...he was so consumed by it...

"Just..." he whispered. "I always...want to be up there. I mean...it's...like I have to be up there. I mean,

some people have rheairds, and I'm so JEALOUS of them. I mean, when I found Noishe I was so

happy. I was small enough to ride him, and it was...amazing..." he sighed. "But then...I got older, and

Noishe can't carry me anymore. So...all I can do is dream..."

I smiled. "I'm sure you'll get to fly again, someday!"

He chuckled. "Yeah, I hope."

...My life is...so twisted...

**...Sigh...I wish I could fly...I just want to jump off into the air...Damn it...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Darn, it's still another hour till Naruto comes on- Wait, um...eh heh...(Cough)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. So don't sue me you evil lawyers.**

I woke up early in the morning, just when the sun was coming up. I heard someone moving in

the hall, out of curiousity I peeked outside the bedroom door. Kratos was walking outside, back in his

blue armor. Where did he think HE was going?! He was going to leave without saying goodbye?! I

followed him downstairs just as he was leaving the house, but I was still lagging behind, I followed him

outside and out on to the outskirts of the village.

"Hey!" I called. "Kratos!"

He stopped, then turned to face me. "Mithos? What are you doing out here?"

"What are YOU doing?!" I snapped. "You're LEAVING?! You didn't even say goodbye!"

"...I apologize." he muttered.

"Oh..." I muttered, biting my lip. "You...didn't want to say goodbye...?

"..." Kratos paled. "It's not that I didn't want to, it's just...I'm not very stable with farewells..."

"...You're gonna come back, right?" 

His lips curled into a smile, a kind glint in his eyes.

"Of course I will. Then we'll have so much fun your head will blow."

"...Heh." I grinned. "You'd better keep that promise!"

"Of course I-" he froze.

"Kratos?" 

"MOVE! NOW!"

Kratos pushed me onto the ground, an arrow zooming past where my head had just been.

"Wh-what the?!" I gasped.

"Bastards!" Kratos snapped. "BASTARDS!"

Before I knew what was happening I was running, into the village as Kratos tore through the

town, leading me as his hand clutched my wrist. Kratos was yelling at people.

"They're attacking! Everyone get out! Run!"

The fields were on fire, people were screaming, the animals were in a frenzy, mixing in with the people

of the village in the chaos. Kratos let go of my hand.

"Get to the house! There's a path to the basement under the table, do you understand?! You, get your

sister, and my sister, and that other person and get your hides in there!!"

"B-but-!"

"Don't come out until I get you! Do you understand?!"

"But I-!"

"GO!"

I ran off faster than I thought was possible for my short legs, when I finally got to the house,

Mae was already yelling at Martel and Yuan to get in the basement.

"I can't go without my brother-!"

"Get in there are it won't matter if you have a brother!" Mae snapped.

"Sis! I'm here!" I ran in.

"Mithos! Oh thank Mana!"

"See?! He's here! Now get in!!" Mae shouted.

We retreated down into the basement and Mae closed the hatch, then proceeded to seal it with some

kind of pastey material. She told me that it was polycarbonite, so if the house was attacked with magic,

it wouldn't leak in through the entry way. The basement was...strange, you see...it wasn't just dirt and

cement. This place was like a full out bomb shelter, and not one a farmer could make...

"What...is this?" Yuan gaped. "It's...amazing..."

The walls were made of steel and an ivory like material, there were several magitech machines with

functions I still don't know, and all in all...it was something Raine would give her left arm to see.

"Mae...how is this...? What is this doing in your house...?" Martel gaped.

"..." Mae copied a look Kratos, and even Lloyd, used when they were hiding something.

"...This is weird, why do you have all this magitech even though your house's biggest achievement is

running water?" I asked. "Just...what are you and Kratos hiding?" 

"...Nothing." she lied.

"How stupid do you think we are?" Martel asked.

"Amazing..." Yuan was fiddling with some of the machines.

"Hey! Don't touch that-!" Mae started.

That was the first time I saw a projector, the image popped up in the air.

"Woah! A projector!?" I gasped.

On the image was a picture of the battlefield we had just fled. People were running away, some of the

farmers were fighting with pitchforks, or whatever they could find against soldiers in red, I saw a man

in blue slice through three men, their bodies spurting blood.

"That's Kratos-!" I gaped.

It was just like the battle from before, blood was staining the ground, men were limping off without

arms, without legs, one of them had his intestines spilling out of his stomach. I think Martel would have

covered my eyes, but she was too terrified to move. I never...wanted to see it again, the blood, the

screaming, the severed bodies charring in the fire. Of course...this wasn't going to be the last time...

Then the time would come where I was the one destroying towns.

...What happened to me? I remember how terrified I was, I wanted to throw up, I wanted to cry,

I hated the people who were doing this, yet...how did it happened that I became what I hated...? Where

did I finally stop caring...? ...Martel...if she'd never died...she was my strength, and I...

I had forsaken her.

"Turn it off!" Mae cried, tears shooting down her face.

Yuan hit the button, his face pale as any ghost. We were all quiet for a few minutes. I think I threw up,

I'm not sure, I don't remember. Martel put her hand on my shoulder.

"Be strong, Mithos." she told me. "It'll be all right...just hold on..."

I let you down...Martel...I let you down...

I remember we stayed in the shelter for hours, I fell asleep, drifting into nightmares of what I'd seen...

I heard footsteps.

"...Did you tell them?" I heard a faint voice ask.

"No..." a softer voice answered. "I didn't."

"...How long do you think?"

"I don't know..." 

I opened my eyes, Mae was talking to-

"Kratos?!"

The red-heads flinched and turned over to look at me, pale.

"You're okay!" I grinned.

"..." Kratos smiled. "What did you expect?"

"How much did you hear?" Mae snapped.

"Hear-?"

Kratos covered her mouth. "Sorry, Mithos, we were talking about adult things."

"..." I nodded slowly. "I'm glad you're okay, Kratos. So...what happened...?"

"We fought them off." he smiled.

"You fought them off?!" I gaped. "Just you and a bunch of farmers?! How did you-?!"

"Uh..." Kratos smiled nervously. "We had...a secret weapon."

"Secret weapon?" I blinked. "What secret weapon-?"

"OH MY GODDESS!" Mae cried. "Would you look at that wound-!!"

"This?" Kratos blinked, looking at his shoulder, which was bleeding through the armor. "It's nothing-"

"YES IT IS!" Mae roared. "NOW SIT DOWN AND LET ME BANDAGE IT!"

"But-but-" Kratos stammered, wide eyed. "It's just a cut..."

Mae glared at Kratos, he paled.

"Y-yes Mae." Kratos nodded, sitting down.

A little while later, I left the shelter and looked around at what was left of the village. Several of

the houses were destroyed, and pigs, cows, and horses were wandering around. There were people

everywhere, some tending the wounded, some sorting through the rubble- some...digging graves...

"Who are you?"

I turned around, there was a woman behind me, looking at me through questioning eyes.

"Um...I'm living with Kratos and Mae-" I started.

"Oh! So you're that boy I heard about." she smiled softly. "You might want to go back, this..." she

looked around at the wreckage. "Is nothing a boy should see."

I looked at her for a minute...

"Isn't there anything I can do to help?" I asked. "Anything?" 

She looked at me, then slowly smiled.

"If you could round up the chickens for me, that's help."

"Right!" I nodded. "Say...what's a chicken look like?"

She laughed. "You're joking, right?"

"Uh...no..." I shook my head. "I've never seen one..." 

"Really?" she raised an eyebrow. "Well, you'll know them when you see them, they're like short, fat

little birds, they can't fly so you should be able to catch them."

"Oh, okay." I nodded. "Thanks. I'll get right to it."

I ran off and began my 'chicken hunt', they were pretty stupid animals, so they were easy to catch.

Except that one that crapped on my foot...damn bird. Anyway, once I was done I sat down, out of

breath, those little birds could run pretty well...

"Thank you so much." she smiled. "You're a very nice young man." 

Very nice... Presea called me nice too, like some cruel joke fate plays...

"Thank you, miss!" I smiled. "I-" 

"Watch out!"

I got out of the way just as a stampede of cows trampled by, Yuan running ahead of them.

"YUAN!?"

"HEEEELLPP MEEEE!!" he cried, screaming like a little girl.

Martel was further ahead, she grabbed him by his hair and yanked him out of the way.

"OW! Darn it! That hurt!" he griped.

"Oh shush, I saved you-" she stopped, still holding his hair.

"...What?" he asked.

"You look good with a ponytail..." she said, tilting her head to the side.

"...Really?" he smirked.

I smiled, then decided to go see if there was anything else I could help with, it was about three

o'clock or something...it was hard to believe that the fighting and the night in the shelter was only

twenty-four hours ago...it seemed like such a long time ago... Anyway, I walked a little and found a

field where all the cows had settled, grazing around- Wait a minute...

"Let's go!" I heard a voice shout.

A man was riding on a horse, herding the cows to the fenced area- Hey, it was Kratos!

"Hah!" he grinned, the cows bumbling in the direction he wanted.

"Woah!" I gasped. "That looks like fun!"

He spotted me, then smiled. "Well, hey Mithos! I wondered where you went to."

"Can I try?!" I grinned.

He smiled softly, a kind glint in his eyes. "I'll teach you later, right now I gotta get these guys home."

It's so strange...looking at him now. There's no trace of the guy who smiled like that, the guy who

would laugh around like such a gentle person. Kratos is so cold now...maybe...it's my fault...

**...Depressed. Don't want to say nothing.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, guys? Did...I write something you guys didn't like? Because it seems like every chapter I **

**get less and less reviews...do I really suck that much at angst...?**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

"Whew..." Mae wiped her forehead. "We finally got everything back up and running!"

After a few days, we had managed to repair all the damage from the attack. It was a miracle, really, that

the little town had gotten away with only a few broken buildings. Though...we weren't all that lucky...

"Mae."

Kratos walked up to his sister, a sad look on his face.

"...What is it?" she asked him.

"Luis died."

Mae's eyes widened in shock, then her face melted to an expression of sorrow. Luis was a villager who

had been wounded badly in the fight. The man had been holding on for a few days, but it seemed fate

was not in his favor... By the way Kratos and Mae talked about him, I could tell he was a good friend.

"..." Kratos sighed. "I should get started on his grave."

"..." Mae nodded sadly.

They both walked off. They both looked depressed...not that I could blame them, but I thought maybe

I should try to cheer them up a little bit... I walked after Mae first, I heard her mutter something.

"Why do they have to die for us...?" she muttered under her breath.

"What?"

Mae flinched and turned to face me, eyes wide in horror.

"Mithos! Wha- what are you doing eavesdropping?!"

"It's not my fault you talk to yourself." I pointed out.

"...Shut up!" she snapped. "Just...go away!"

"What did you mean, 'die for you'?" I asked. "And what's with that stuff in your basement?"

"..." she glared at me. "I'd suggest you go somewhere else, Mithos."

I swallowed nervously. She was scary when she was mad... I ran off to find Kratos instead. He

was nice, maybe he'd tell me something. I found him digging into the ground. Digging a grave.

"...Kratos?"

He looked up at me, "...Mithos, what is it?"

"...Do you need any help?" I found myself asking.

"..." he smiled softly. "No, it's fine. By the way, where is your sister and Yuan?"

"Huh? I uh...haven't seen them..."

I hadn't, actually...I think Martel was helping the villagers, but as for Yuan...

"Kratos, are you going back to the war soon?" I asked him.

He nodded, "I shouldn't have been gone even this long, I need to hurry back."

I was sad, I thought he was so cool. I didn't want him to leave yet...

"...Don't worry." he smiled. "I'll say goodbye this time."

"But you'll come back, right?" I asked.

"Of course!" he grinned. "I don't go back on my word."

Gods...he did grin so much like Lloyd...what happened...?

I smiled, "You'd better not!"

"Go on home, I'll be back in time for dinner." he smiled.

I nodded, "Okay, tell me if you see Martel or Yuan." 

"Roger."

I walked off for the house and ran into Yuan on the way.

"Yuan! What did you...?"

That was the first time I recall him wearing his hair in a ponytail.

"Huh? Well...I just thought I should change my look." he shrugged. "That's all."

"Uh-huh, and I suppose my sister has nothing to do with it?"

Yuan blushed. "Shut up."

"Yuan!"

Martel ran over, "Oh Yuan! You look so cute like that!"

I glared at Yuan, who ignored me.

"Oh? Thanks, I didn't know you'd like it..." he lied.

Darn that jerk, hitting on my sister like that... I sighed.

"C'mon guys, we should go help Mae make dinner." I said.

"Wow! The brat is actually being considerate?!" Yuan gaped at me. 

"Shut UP Yuan!" I snapped.

-----------------------------------------------

We stayed at the village for about three months. A long three months of feeding chickens and

cows. Sometimes riding horses, but I tended to avoid that. Since that always reminded me of Kratos.

Kratos had left shortly after Yuan got called cute by Martel. Note to self: kill Yuan-

Oh wait...I already tried that...

Anyway, life was pretty simple in the village. I got to know everyone by name, and every tuesday Yuan

would give me lessons at home. As much as I hated him teaching me, Martel was always helping Mae,

so I didn't have much of a choice. How ironic it was that one such lesson...

"So therefore- Mithos! Are you paying attention?!" Yuan snapped.

"Huh? What?" I yawned.

Yuan groaned, "I give up! You never listen to a word I say so how can-?!"

"Zzzzzz..."

I felt a smack to the back of my head.

"Yeouch!" I sprang upright. "Damn! That hurt!"

Yuan sighed, "I can't take this..."

Suddenly, we heard a shout. We both flinched and ran to the source of the cry.

"Oh crap..." 

Marching into town came several soldiers in red armor. I knew they were our enemies, Kratos' side

wore blue armor. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach.

"Mithos, get Martel and hide." Yuan told me.

"Wh-what? But-" 

"You there!"

Oh shit. They saw us.

"Get behind me." Yuan said.

The soldiers marched up, a man on a big horse clomped up to Yuan and I. The man looked at us.

"You live in this village?" he asked.

"Well, obviously." Yuan snorted.

The man's hand flew to his hilt, but supressed the urge to draw the sword.

"Do you know a woman here? With auburn hair?"

Mae? Why were they...? 

"We might." Yuan said.

"...Your starting to try my patience..." the man growled.

"I do that some times." Yuan smirked.

The man snapped his fingers and one of the soldiers hit Yuan hard in the stomach.

"Yuan-!"

He fell onto the ground, I knelt next to him and asked if he was okay.

"You, boy." the man spoke.

I looked up at him. I remember how terrified I was of him.

"Do you know the auburn haired woman?"

"N-no..." 

"Liar."

Before I could do anything, the man lifted me up by my collar. I struggled but he was pretty freaking

strong. Then he put his hand around my neck and lifted me up into the air.

"Unless you want this child to die, come forth, Mae Aurion!"

I gasped for breath, my vision began to go fuzzy.

"PUT THE KID DOWN!" 

I saw a blurred shape of Mae running forward.

"I'm right here! Put him down!"

I was dropped onto the ground, quite a long drop actually. I panted to try to reclaim my breath...

"How did we know that would work?" the man cackled. "Sieze her."

The soldiers grabbed Mae's arms.

"H-hey-!" she cried. "What's the big idea?! What do you want with me?!"

"What else would we want?" the man laughed.

"H-hey!" I coughed. "What are you doing?!"

"LET ME GO!" Mae cried.

A few of the villagers had flocked to the area, brandishing any weapon they could find.

"LET HER GO!" a man yelled.

"You leave those youngsters alone!" an elderly woman shouted.

"Or what?"

A soldier put a blade to my neck. I froze, my heart began beating rapidly.

"HEY! Leave him alone!" Mae cried.

"Come with us without a fight, and there will be no bloodshed." the man told Mae.

"..." Mae paled.

"Don't do it!" I cried, which sounded much braver than I felt.

"..." Mae looked at me, pale. "...Just don't hurt anyone!" 

"I'm a man of my word." he nodded. "Leave the boy alone." 

The soldier withdrew his sword and I almost collapsed onto my knees.

"Carry her." the man said to his troops. "She's precious cargo."

"Wha-? HEY! PUT ME DOWN!" Mae cried, kicking as the troops lifted her off her feet.

"Would you rather walk like a commoner?" the man huffed.

"Commoner...?" Yuan whispered.

"I'm capable of walking myself!" Mae roared.

"Amusing. All right! Our business here is done! Let's move out!"

The troops marched off, carrying Mae with them. Before I knew what I was doing, I began to chase

after them but Yuan held me back.

"Are you crazy?! They'll kill us!"

"B-but Mae's-!"

"We don't have a choice." Yuan muttered.

"What do they want with her, anyway?!" I cried.

"...Hm..." Yuan hmmed. "Regardless...I'm not saying we won't go after her."

"Huh...? But you just said..."

"Kratos saved our lives, we owe it to him to at least find out where they're taking her."

"...So we follow them?" I asked.

Yuan smirked, "Yes, we follow them." 

Follow them we did, making sure as not to let them onto us. We followed them for what must have

been hours, I remember my feet had been killing me... Eventually...

"Woah-!"

"What on Aselia is that...?" Yuan gasped.

Hidden amongst the trees was nothing short of a fortress, a colossal building which was

surrounded by what I realized was a wall comprised of volt mana. There were guards everywhere.

"Holy shit..." Yuan went wide-eyed. "What...do they have in there...?"

I could sense it too, there was something in there giving off an incredible amount of mana. I

mean...huge amount of mana, only the Kharlan tree could give off any more.

"What do we do?" I whispered.

"Shh. Listen..."

The soldiers had reached the sentry.

"I've brought the woman." the man on the horse stated.

"Really?!" the sentry looked at Mae, who was glaring at him.

"What do you want with me?" she snapped again.

"Don't play dumb." the man on the horse said. "You know perfectly well what we want with

you...your mana's the most compatible after all..."

"Compatible?" Mae gaped. "With what?!"

"Heh heh heh..." the man chuckled deeply. "That would spoil the suprise, wouldn't it?"

"When my brothers find out about this, you're all DEAD!" Mae snarled.

"I doubt they'll find out. ...In time."

I paled. In time? In time for what...? This didn't look good...and what DID they mean by 'compatible'?

Her mana was compatible with something in there? What did that even mean?

"Hey! Who's over there?!"

"Oh shit." Yuan swore. "Mithos, we've gotta get out of here!" 

"But-!"

"Now!"

Yuan grabbed my hand and yanked me through the forest, we were running faster then I thought was

possible for us. I could hear them chasing us. My heart began pumping rapidly, the familiar fear...

"GET DOWN!" I heard a familiar voice yell.

"Martel-?!"

Yuan forced me down just as several arrows shot down our pursuers. I looked up, Martel was a few

feet ahead of us, some of the villagers were accompanying her.

"I told you they'd be here!" Martel huffed at a villager.

"You were right. You two get over here!" another said.

Yuan and I ran over to them, I remember gaping at the villagers. How could they have shot with that

kind of marksmanship? Impossible for farmers...

"What are-?" Yuan gaped.

Some of the villagers were holding strange contraptions. They were shaped like cylinders with triggers,

there was a stone and mana glowing inside of them.

"What are those things?"

"Mana blasters." Martel stated. "They can shoot beams of mana through them..."

"WHAT?!" Yuan paled. "How on-?!"

"What-?! How do farmers have something like that?!" I gasped. "What- what ARE you guys?!"

The villagers shifted their feet guiltily, Martel sighed.

"I asked them that too, they won't answer me..."

"..." I bit my lip. "Who ARE these guys...?"

"We have a bigger problem right now." Yuan stated. "We know where Mae is, we have to save her."

"Well of course, sonny." an elderly woman smirked. "What did you think we were doing here?"

Heh heh...those humans...they weren't so bad...

**Finally, I got another chapter up. This one kind of goes slow for me...Happy late Easter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Still even less reviews as chapter keep going...oh well. As long as there's one person, I **

**shall write! ****(Fireworks go off and an American flag flies in background)**

**...Wow...what's next? Is Patrick going to show up and-?**

**Patrick: Ooooooo! Pretty liiiiiigghhhhttsss!!!**

**...Yo, retard starfish, go back to Bikini Bottom m'kay?  
**

**Patrick: aw...(Leaves)  
**

**A pink talking starfish showing up in an angst story...what is the world coming to-? No! **

**I'm stopping right here and ****saying the disclaimer before a political joke pops up!**

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing.**

**Hah hah! Take that evil politcal joke!**

"Lead us to Mae." a villager said to Yuan and I.

"Of course." Yuan said. "Mithos, let's get back to that place we found."

"Wait. Did they say what they wanted with her?" a man asked.

"They...said something about her mana being compatible to something..." I said.

The man swore, the mass of people beginning to jabber amongst themselves in a panic.

"Okay, what are you all hiding?" Martel stomped her foot.

"...Listen." the leader of the group said. "We are charged with the protection of Mae Aurion, at all

costs."

"What...?" I blinked. "But why her? And what do you mean 'charged'? You act like it's your job

or something."

"It is." a woman said. "Twenty years ago, His Majesty the King issued an order that the female

child of the Aurion's be kept under close guard. Eventually she was moved out here along with

her brothers for their own protection."

What...?

"She was? Why?" Yuan asked. "And why was it the king that gave the order? The woman can't

be THAT important...can she?"

"It was known since her birth that her mana-"

"That's enough." the leader said. "That's confidential. However, you three, if you refuse to aid us

in her rescue you will be named as enemies of Tethe'alla and placed under arrest. Do you

understand me? We don't want to have to arrest you."

Yuan swore and Martel looked frightened.

"What have we gotten ourselves into...?" Yuan gaped.

"Don't be so harsh on them." a woman said to the leader. "Kratos is the one that got them into

this-"

"Damn that Kratos." a villager scoffed. "If it's not one thing it's another, that idiot is always getting

himself into trouble-"

"Hey!" I snapped. "Don't say that about him! Kratos is awesome-!"

Yuan covered my mouth, "Shut up you idiot!"

"Mmph!" I flailed.

"Awesome? That hot head?!" a young man snapped. "He's an IDIOT! He'd much rather hang out

with the livestock and that freakish bird of his than with normal people! That and he's completely

obsessed with flying! He needs to get his head out of the clouds and-!"

"That's enough." a woman snapped. "While it's true Kratos is a bit...strange, we need to protect

his sister."

"Are you helping us, or must we detain you?" the leader of the group said to us.

"...Yeah." I said.

"What-?" Yuan started.

"Mae saved me." I stated. "So I've gotta save her."

"You-?" Yuan stared. "What the hell can YOU do-?"

"Mithos, it's too dangerous for you." Martel told me. "Yuan and I will go, you stay behind-"

"No!" I snapped. "I'm going-!"

"All three of you will go. It's too late to take anyone back." the leader said. "Now lead us back."

He glared at Yuan and I, the eldest woman there turned to me sadly.

"Poor boy...I'm sorry you got involved in this..." she muttered.

"Oh, Lisabeth." a man shook his head. "You're too passionate for your own good."

"...Come on Mithos. Let's-"

I had already started off through the woods.

"Come on! It's back this way, but there are a ton of guards." I said.

"Just lead the way, son." a woman said.

I nodded and led them through the woods to the best of my memory. It amazed me how well I

remembered it, actually...

In fact, it amazes me I even remember this now.

I led them through the woods until we got within sight of the back of the complex. The villagers

looked up at it and one swore.

"Sylvarant dogs...what are they planning?"

"If they use Mae for this, we're doomed..." I heard someone mutter.

"Use her for what-?" I started.

"Shhh! Get down!" Yuan forced me down.

All of us scrouched down into the bushes as several men in red armor walked by transporting a

crate. The crate was shifting violently and screetches were coming from it.

"Ugh..." one man groaned. "I hate these things...why do we need to get all these things?"

"The boss needs them." another said. "Even if they are a pain in the-"

A whole burst through the box, an arshis protozoan was gnashing with his head out the hole,

attempting to get loose.

"Oh crap! They're getting out!" one cried.

"Protozoans...?" Martel whispered. "What are they doing with those...?"

I watched in a sort of horrified daze as the soldiers attempted to stop the protozoan from

escaping, hiting it and doing whatever they could to force the arshis back into it's prison. Once

they secured the creature they started off again. One soldier stopped at the gates and pulled some

sort of pass out of his pocket and placed it on the volt-mana wall in front of him. The wall

dissappeared, leaving the pass floating in mid air. They walked through the gates and he took

back the pass, the wall reappearing.

"We need to get a hold of one of those passes." Yuan stated. "Any ideas?"

"What else? Ambush them." the leader said.

"They'll yell for help, won't they?" Martel asked. "Isn't there a safer way...?"

"Unless one of you wants to be bait, then no." he said.

"Wait...I've got a better idea." I said. "Look, another crate is coming."

"So?" Yuan asked.

I looked at a villager holding a mana weapon. "Can you shoot the wheel? That should let the

protozoans get out, right?"

"Well, yes, but why?" he asked me.

"If they get out the soldiers will be too distracted to notice us coming at them before it's too late."

I stated. "Then if we hide back in here the other troops will just think the protozoans got loose

and attacked them. We can get that pass AND they won't get that we're here...well, I mean, they

shouldn't anyway..."

Yuan stared at me and the lead villager chuckled.

"You've got a smart brother, Martel." he smiled. "Okay, everyone hear what the kid said?"

The group nodded.

"Then let's do it." he said. "Wait for my signal..."

We waited till the crate was in just the right spot and then he gave the signal. The man with the

mana weapon shot the wheel and the crate collapsed. Just as planned, the protozoans broke

loose, several arshis, an aereo, and a large, almost centaur-like one that must have been the pre-

human form, the frenrilla. The creatures attacked the soldiers and the villagers swiftly striked. I

remember trying to get out there as well, only for Martel to hold me back. In less than a few

minutes we had successfully entered.

"No one make a sound."

The halls of the place were well lit, in fact, it looked as if they were using quite a bit of magitech in

this place. I was practically getting a headache from all the mana I was sensing...

"We need to be quick and percise." the leader muttered. "Avylin, can't you-?"

A woman holding a strange device sighed, shaking her head.

"I can't get a hold of her mana signature...the machine isn't responding." she sighed.

"...Uh...I can...sense her..." I trailed.

All eyes locked on me, Martel yelped.

"Mithos-!"

"You can? ...Just what are you?" a man asked, suspicious.

"Huh-? I'm-"

"An elf!" Martel blurted. "We're elves!"

"Elves? I thought they had longer ears..." a woman trailed.

"Have you ever SEEN an elf?" Yuan asked.

"...Well...no, but-"

"We're elves." he lied.

I hesitated a moment. Why were they lying-? Oh...right...we were kicked out of the village

because we were HALF-elves...and humans don't think us much better. I guess I had

forgotten...Kratos knew full well what we were, as did Mae, but they never acted as if we were

inferior or anything...

"You can sense her mana?" the leader asked me.

I nodded slowly, "Y-yeah...I recognize it...it's faint but it's there..."

"...Then please, lead us to her." he asked. "We need your help."

"...Right." I nodded.

I looked around, attempting to scout out a trace of her mana...it was faint in every direction but it

was suddenly strong, right above us. Hm...were there any stairs around...? There!

"We need to head up." I said. "Those stairs should get us closer-"

"Hey! Who the hell are you-?!"

A felt a blast of mana and heard a thud as the guard that had caught us hit the floor.

"Let's move it!" the leader said. "They'll know we're here soon!"

We hurried up the stairs, Martel, Yuan and I in the middle of the group. My heart was racing

from all this...we could...die. Just like when we were in the battlefield, I was afraid. But then...it

was sort of exciting, too...

"All right, where next?" the leader asked me once we had reached another fork.

I looked around, Mae's mana was definitely stronger up here...but so was something else...

"Whatever they've got here, it's...powerful." I said, feeling dazed.

Yuan nodded dumbly, "I can feel it too...we've got to get out of here, soon."

"...There!" I said.

The hall to our right, it was lucky they brought her throuh her recently...

"..." Yuan frowned as we made our way through.

"What is it?" Martel asked.

"I find it strange we haven't ran into many guards-"

He was interrupted by a huge booming sound.

"Ah-!" Martel yelped.

From the entrance to an adjacent hall tore a lone figure in red armor. I gasped as several beams

of condensed mana blasted at him. The man turned faster than I could see and simply knocked

the beams of energy back with his blade, hurling an abnormally sized 'sword force' at them...a

'demon fang'. The man began running toward us, looking back over his shoulder but skidded to a

stop the second he saw us. My first though was it might have been Kratos, but this man looked a

bit older. Though he had the spiky hair and red-brown eyes, like Kratos and Mae, his hair was a

dark brown color and he had tanned skin.

"Who the-?" he gasped.

"Lartan!" a villager cried. "What are you doing here?!"

"What am I doing here?! I'm here to save my sister! What else?!" he snapped.

"You're Kratos' brother?" I gasped.

"Who the hell are you-?" he started.

He was cut off as more soldiers rounded the corner.

"Damn!" he spat. "They caught up!"

One enemy soldier attempted to shoot Lartan, but was shot by one of the villagers.

"Do you know where she is?!" one hurriedly asked Lartan.

He shook his head, sending another demon fang at the approaching guards.

"She should be up one more level!" I shouted over the din of fighting.

Lartan swore, "There were stairs past them! We need to get past!"

"You with close range weapons, cover me! Long range, keep the elves safe!" the leader cried.

Lartan and several others charged at the soldiers, those left surrounded us, forming a barrier as

they shot at the enemy. Martel clung to me the whole time, muttering every prayer she knew.

Yuan was chanting spells under his breath...

"LIGHTNING!"

A bolt of electricity stuck down a soldier in red. That's when my attention drew to Lartan. Now

see...I remember seeing Kratos on the battlefield. He was good, really good. He was fast and

graceful, a swordsman. This guy was a demon.

"HYAH!"

Eveytime he swung his sword- if you saw him swing, it sent a jet of blood everywhere. I was

staring in horror at this, but even though he would continue to plaster blood on his face he never

once faltered. When Kratos saved me, when he fought, you could always see...a gleam in his

eyes. A gleam of regret, of pity, of remorse for his actions...like he didn't want to be there...

Lartan's eyes were different. Cold, keen, intense, there was no gleam of doubt in his eyes, if any

feeling dwelt in them, it was rage. Pure and simple rage.

"..." Martel caught sight of him and covered my eyes.

"S-sis!" I stammered.

"Don't look!" she cried, sobbing. "Don't look, Mithos!"

The scent of blood filled my nose, just as it did on the battlefield. It's a naseauting smell...sick and

thick on the air as if someone draped it onto the very wind.

"Move!" I heard someone call.

Martel began to lead me through the hall, not taking her hands off my eyes.

"Sis! I can't see-!" I snapped.

"Good." she whispered. "Don't see...please don't see..."

Even her hand was sweating against my face, she felt so cold...

When she finally did let me go, what I saw didn't make me feel much better...Everyone was

beaten, exhausted and...bloodstained...Lartan was the only one who looked unfazed.

"You, blondie." he stated.

"Who, me?" I asked, irritated.

"Yes, you, which way to my sister?" he demanded.

"..." I looked around. "...She should be a ways to our left..."

He turned to the others, not bothering to wipe the blood of his face.

"Is anyone injured?" he asked.

"Jengi's broke his leg." one woman said, holding up her comrade.

Lartan sighed, "Can anyone use healing arts?"

There was a silence.

"...I-i..."

Martel raised her hand, Yuan scoffed at her.

"Martel!"

"I'll see what I can..." she whispered.

Martel looked at the man's leg and then muttered a spell. There was a green light...

"...You're amazing..." Jengi gasped. "I...I feel fine!"

"...You're...welcome..." she blushed.

Yuan was growling, I think. Lartan snapped back to business.

"Let's get going. Blondie-"

"My name is Mithos!" I snapped.

He glared at me, I almost wet myself.

"...Mithos," he stated darkly. "Tell us where to go."

"...All right." I muttered.

As we made our way towards Mae, we heard shouting.

"Let me go! Let me GO!"

The voice was familiar, but it wasn't Mae's, it sounded like a man's voice...

Before I knew what was happening, I was being pushed against the wall with the others. Lartan

looked aroudn the corner and I saw his eyes widen before a dirty word slid from his mouth.

"What is it...?" a man whispered.

I was closest to Lartan and managed to peek around the corner as well...

"..." I paled.

About three soldiers were practically dragging a sturggling man through the halls. He was wearing

blue armor and appeared to be exhausted, the soldiers yanking him around with the chain they

had around his hands. The man was putting up quite a fight, despite looking as if he could faint at

any minute.

"Let me GO!" he roared.

With a heave he managed to yank the chain out of two of the soldiers hands. Before they could

react he pulled the length of chain around the remaining soldier's throat, facing the other two.

"Hey-!"

"Move, and he dies!" he shouted.

The soldier he had hostage stiffened, not daring to breathe. One soldier hesitated and considered

dropping his weapon, the other however, was quite the opposite.

"What do we care?" he laughed. "If you get away, it's all three of us who'll die..."

The man's eyes narrowed, "I'd bet you'd feel different if you were the one I was threatening..."

"I don't think you could do it." he smirked.

The man went pale, "...What makes you say that?"

"Kill someone at your mercy? It kind of hurts your reputation 'Weeping warrior'."

"..." he paled.

"Besi- AGH!"

I gasped in horror, Lartan had impaled the soldier through the chest.

"You-!" the remaining guard drew his weapon.

Well...he tried to...his hand was cut off before he reached it.

"AAAH-!"

He never got to finish screaming, either.

"...Lartan...?" the man whispered.

Lartan glared at him, "You idiot."

Lartan slashed his blade again, the chains on the man were shattered and his hostage fainted onto

the floor. The freed man rubbed his wrists where the cuffs had been, his skin raw and bloody.

"You were stupid enough to come in your own armor?" Lartan snarled.

"To come-?! I'll have you know, I was BROUGHT here-!" he snapped.

"Kratos?!" I gasped.

Kratos jolted his head over to look at me, stunned.

"Mithos?! What on earth are you-?!" he gasped.

The rest of the group rushed over, Kratos gaping at us all.

"You're all here...? What's going on?" he asked.

"What are you doing here?" Lartan snapped at him.

Kratos glared at him, "...I was captured, all right?"

"Have you seen Mae?"

"No- Wait, is she here too?" Kratos paled.

"That's what we're here for, Mae was kidnapped." Lartan stated.

"She was-?" Kratos started.

"Kratos! What on earth happened to you?!"

Martel was instantly looking at Kratos' wounds, fussing over him.

"Your wrists are so raw! You're bleeding! You look like you haven't slept in-!"

"Days?" Kratos moaned. "Yeah...I haven't..."

"What happened?!" she gaped.

Yuan was currently biting his sleeve, growling.

"We can worry about him later." Lartan stated.

Kratos glared at him, "Ever the compassionate one."

"Fussing over my _baby brother _isn't something I find rewarding."

"Why you-!" Kratos hissed.

"Would you two knock it off?!" the village leader snapped. "We have other problems!"

Lartan and Kratos flinched, then looked at them, nodding.

"Hold still a moment...healing circle." Martel chanted.

Kratos glowed for a moment as the glyph surrounded him, then sighed in relief as his wrists

healed up and the fatigue seemed to leave as well. He smiled and thanked Martel, who blushed.

(Yuan was pulling his hair.)

"Let's get moving." Lartan stated. "I don't want Mae to be injured."

"Right." Kratos nodded. "Let's go."

And then we were off again. I was running as fast as I could to keep up with Kratos and Lartan,

who dashed off as fast as they could everytime I found Mae's trail. Stupid Yuan and Martel...they

could sense mana, how come they weren't doing this? I mean, yeah...I always was a bit better at

sensing it, but... I skidded to a stop.

"Mithos? What is it?" Kratos asked, panting.

I remember my body was shaking, and I had to force myself to speak.

"Something...just consumed Mae's mana..." I whispered.

"...And what does that mean...?" Kratos asked, looking pale.

I swallowed, what was it? That huge mass of mana that had just...engulfed her.

"It means we've gotta find her, NOW."

**Hm...well, it took a while but it felt fun writing it. I have a good plot in mind for this...:D **

**Review? PWEASE? (Begs and ****grovels at feet) Okay nevermind, I'm not THAT **

**desperate..but please review anyway!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Dude, this is like...chapter seven, right? Cool.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Note: I changed it from tragedy to adventure, because even though we all know how it's **

**going to end, in the meanwhile I ****don't want this to be ALL doom and gloom...Frankly, I'm **

**suprised I haven't cracked from the lack of humor I put into ****each chapter...oh well. **

"Who are-? GAH!"

We had found the door that led to Mae, Lartan dispatched the guards a split second later. Kratos

went to the door and attempted to open it, swearing loudly that it was locked from the inside.

"Out of the way." Lartan shoved Kratos aside.

"H-hey-!" Kratos snapped.

"HYAH!"

Half of our group gasped and jolted back. Lartan did something that Kratos couldn't do until he

was fifty, he cut through the steel door frame and made a large hole in the wall...in two seconds.

The wall crumbled into rubble as Lartan sprinted in, sword drawn, Kratos snapped from his daze

and was right behind him, followed by the remaining villagers, Martel, Yuan and I. We skidded to

a stop and my jaw dropped in horror at what was in the room.

"Wh-what the hell is that?!"

Suspended in the air was a giant shapeless mass of mana, it was giving off waves of energy that

brought me to my knees, stunning Yuan and Martel. Kratos, being a human, wasn't so much

shocked at it as he was curious...after all, he couldn't sense the INSANE amount of power

coming from it. The humans quickly dispatched the guards in the room save for one scientist that

Lartan had by his throat, holding him in the air.

"You! Where's my sister?!"

"Y-your s-sister-?!" the man stammered. "I- I d-don't k-know-!"

Lartan's grip tightened and his eyes became demonically ablaze.

"Don't...lie...to me..." he hissed.

That voice had to have been the scariest thing I've ever heard...

"Lartan!" Kratos called from a console. "You should look at this..."

Lartan glanced at Kratos before dropping the scientist onto the floor and then calmly walking over

to where his brother was standing. Kratos pointed at the screen and Lartan looked as well, then

his face went pale.

"What is it?" the village leader asked, walking over.

"Look at this...it's readings are off the chart..." Kratos gaped.

"Well obviously!" Yuan snapped, pointing at the mass. "Can't you FEEL it?! Even if you are all

humans, this thing...is...is just INSANE! ANYTHING should be able to feel it!"

The mass of mana gave a sudden surge and shriek rang in our ears. Sounding like it came

from...under the mass? There did seem to be a ditch of some sort down there... Warily, I poked

my head to look down-

"Oh my God..." I gaped in horror.

Martel followed my gaze and screamed.

Down in the pit below were several dead protozoans in 'bowls' if you will, freely bleeding into

their 'containers'. The bowls had tubes which channeled the blood into a pool in the center of their

circle, in which a blood soaked woman appeared to be 'sleeping' in. I didn't have to be told to

figure it out. The mana above them...it was coming out of her! But who-?

"MAE!!"

I froze and in what seemed like slow motion I turned in time to see Kratos leap into the pit. Lartan

followed right after him and I watched in shock as Kratos jumped right into the literal blood bath

and lifted up Mae's head.

"Mae! Mae! Talk to me!" he cried, shaking her. "Mae, wake up! MAE!"

"YOU IDIOT! DROP HER! NOW!"

Kratos didn't get a chance to inquire, Lartan grabbed him and jerked him out of the sick pool,

though know Kratos was soaked to his waist in blood. Not a second after Lartan pulled him out,

Mae's body jerked and the mass of mana above her gave a powerful surge, almost knocking me

out from the sudden mana influx.

"Wh-what the-?!" Kratos gasped.

"If you were in there, I don't know what would've happened to you." Lartan stated.

"W-what? But, Mae-!"

"I didn't say we were going to leave her!" Lartan snapped. "Just shut up so I can think!"

"What...is this...?!" Martel looked sick.

Yuan was at the console, reading the data with a green tinge to his face.

"...They...they're extracting her mana..." Yuan trailed.

"What? How is that-?" Martel stammered.

"...They're using the protozoans blood as a kind of...lubricant." he looked like was about to hurl.

"It makes it easier for mana to diffuse...that mass of mana...it's from Mae..."

"What?!" I gasped. "Th-that-?! THAT?!"

You have to understand, this mana was...unearthly, it was like...the only thing that could

POSSIBLY give off more mana would be the Kharlan tree. That kind of mana...in some human

woman? It was unthinkable...and even if it were true, how on earth could that have been in Mae

the whole time and we didn't sense it?

"Someone needs to get her out of that blood, now!" Yuan snapped.

Kratos attempted to move forward but Lartan jerked him back, jumping in himself. The older

brother scooped up Mae and leapt out just as the machine gave off a buzzing sound. The console

Yuan was using began to spark and he jumped away from it just before it exploded, the machine

sparking with it before silencing.

"W-what the-?!" Yuan stared.

"...Look..." Martel gaped.

The mass of mana had compressed, morphing into the shape of a person. The mana then drifted

down towards Lartan and quicky soaked itself into Mae's unconscious body. Her eyelids

quivered a moment before she opened them.

"...Lar...tan...?" she whispered. "What're you...? Guys...? Where...?"

"Mae! You're all right!" Kratos exclaimed.

"Where...why is there...blood...?" she muttered groggily. "I...uh..."

She closed her eyes again, drifting off to sleep. Lartan's eyes narrowed and he simply leapt out of

the machine, Kratos having some difficulty seeing as he actually climbed out.

"How does he jump like that...?" Martel whispered.

"H-hey! A little help-?"

Kratos was at the edge of the ditch attempting to pull himself up.

"Kratos!" I said.

I ran over and started to grab his hands to lift him up, then froze.

"..." I paled.

His arms were covered in blood from the pool, most of his body was drenched in it.

"Mithos, a little help, please?" he asked, attempting to climb up.

"...Uh, right!"

I grabbed his hands and felt jolt up my spine, I tried to ignore it and pulled him up.

"Whew..." he stood up. "Thanks, Mithos."

"You're welcome...but...what is all this?" I asked.

His expression changed from relief to that calculating, deathly serious face Lartan never seemed to

take off. Kratos walked past me towards his siblings, I stared at my hands. They were drenched

in blood. ...I wonder, if that...was life's foreshadowing...

"Mithos?"

I snapped up from my daze to see Martel looking at me.

"Mithos, we have to go." she said. "We've got Mae, so now we need to go."

"...Right." I nodded.

I attempted to wipe the blood off on my tan pants, staining them.

Then again, it's not like I cared if they stained or not. These were the clothes I was wearing when

we were banished, the generic tan and green clothes. I could change into some of the clothes I got

in the village, once we got back that was... Before I knew it, we were racing through the complex

again. We ran into some guards, but they didn't last long in front of Lartan...they didn't last long at

all... Kratos raced alongside Martel and I, carrying Mae. I tried not to look...seeing someone

completely drenched in blood while you're running for your life isn't exactly reassuring. After what

seemed like hours of what must have been a glimpse of hell, we finally made it out of the complex

and deep into the woods.

"We'll stop here." Lartan said, stopping curtly.

I fell over onto my back, panting rapidly, as did Martel and Yuan. Kratos sat against a tree, still

holding Mae tight. He breathing heavily but not as much as the villagers and us half-elves. Lartan

didn't seem fazed at all...I honestly question if he was truly a human, or half-elf, elf, anything that

naturally occurred in the world. The dark-haired man knelt down beside Kratos and Mae, looking

at his sister. The man took a cloth from what I recognized as a wing-pack and silently wiped off

the rest of Mae's face, though the red color had already stained her usually peached skin.

"...Hff...hff..." Kratos tried to catch his breath. "...What did they do to her...?"

"They wanted her mana." Lartan said simply, wiping her arms.

"Why? What for?" I found myself asking, sitting up.

"Well..." Kratos looked away.

"..." Lartan ignored me.

"Well?!" I asked. "Come on! What the hell is going on?!"

"Mithos-" Martel started.

"What...what IS she!?" I pointed at Mae. "That kind of mana?! There isn't a person alive with that

kind of power! I mean, Mae's our friend and that's not gonna change, but...but..."

"Mithos. Calm down." Yuan said. "They'll talk when they're ready."

"But-"

"Mithos, please." Martel said.

"..." I sighed, laying back down. "Whatever...I just...want to...rest..."

My eyelids closed after that and then I was lost to darkness.

After I slept for what must have been several hours, I woke up to see the sun rising through the

trees. I groaned and put a hand to my head, sitting upright on the ground. What a night... I yawned

loudly and looked around. Martel was sleeping next to me, her bangs falling in front of her face,

Yuan was leaning up against a tree, snoring.

"Ugh..." I shook my head. "Man..."

The villagers were around us, most of them were sleeping but a few of them were up and about,

most likely keeping watch. Mae, still in blood soaked clothes, slept silently with Kratos sitting next

to her. Kratos wouldn't take his eyes off his little sister, concern was plastered on his face. Lartan

was standing farthest from us, his back to our group, probably on watch.

"...Kratos?" I called.

Kratos snapped from his daze and looked up at me.

"Mithos...you're awake." he said. "...Are you feeling all right?"

I nodded, walking toward him while carefully trying not to wake Martel.

"I'm fine, but...uh...how's Mae?" I asked.

"..." Kratos looked down at her. "...She hasn't woken up yet."

"...Kratos...um..." I trailed. "...er..."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Uh...Well-...nevermind." I shook my head.

"If you have something to say, then say it." he stated.

"...About Mae-"

"What about her?" he snapped, looking angered.

I decided to ask the other question on my mind.

"Why did they bring you to that place?" I asked. "I kinda know why they wanted her, but..."

"..." Kratos looked away. "...I don't know. I don't know why they took me... They wanted Mae

for her mana, that's certain, but as to what they wanted with me..."

"...Kratos, who exactly are you three? You and Mae and Lartan...you're...different."

"What?" he looked at me.

"...I don't know, exactly, but...the villagers said they were under orders to protect you guys,

because of Mae...but who exactly are you? For your sister to have that kind of mana..." I trailed.

"..." Kratos didn't answer me.

"...Aw come on." I pouted. "You look just like your ass of a brother when you-"

"An ass, am I?" a cold voice said.

I froze and slowly creeped my head around to look over my shoulder. Lartan stood behind me.

"Uh...H-hello, sir..." I forced a smile.

"Tch." he disregarded me. "Kratos. How's Mae?"

"I think she should be fine soon..." he said. "She- ah!"

Mae's eyelids fluttered open, revealing her tired brown eyes.

"Uh...Kratos...? Lartan...? You...where are we...?"

Mae sat up, rubbing her eyes with a yawn before looking around.

"The woods? What happ-? AH! Why- why am I covered in blood?!" she yelped, jumping a foot.

"Mae, calm down." Lartan stated. "You're safe now, you don't need to worry."

"I'm covered in BLOOD Lartan!!"

"Mae, I'll explain, just please..." Kratos said slowly.

Mae took a few deep breathes and calmed herself a little before giving him a look that demanded

an explanation. Thus, Kratos and Lartan told her of what had happened last night...

"...My gods..." Mae whispered, stunned. "They...did what to me...?"

"They tried to extract your mana." I spoke up. "But we got to you before it was too late."

"My mana..." Mae whispered. "...I...I see..."

"...Mae, um, wh-"

"Did you tell them?" Mae interrupted, asking her brothers.

Lartan curtly said 'no' and Kratos shook his head.

"...Tell us what?" I asked slowly.

"Wait until Martel and Yuan wake up." Mae said softly. "I'll tell you what you need to know then."

"...All right." I nodded slowly.

What was this woman...? To have that kind of mana...and Lartan, too, he was practically

inhuman... The whole family was off in more ways than one. Well...except Kratos, that is, if you

don't count his obsession with flying...

That should've been enough of a hint right there...

After my sister and Yuan had woken up, we clustered around Mae, who sighed.

"...Ever since I was little," she said, "I was always being watched by people... There were always

people around to guard me... When I was three, I was moved out here with my brothers. They

said it was for my protection, but I really didn't know why for a long time... They told me that..."

"Mae's mana is...different," Kratos picked up, "you all noticed it.. There's this...thing, in the core of

the Earth that gives off mana," he said, "That mana is channeled through the Kharlan tree."

"What?" Yuan gasped, "You're saying the Kharlan Tree is not the source of mana?"

"But that's impossible..." Martel trailed.

"The Tree acts as a siphon," Lartan stated.

"Yeah...the tree is kind of like a straw..." Kratos stated, "The mana from the planet is sucked up

through it's roots and into the tree, which exudes mana into the rest of the world."

"But that's a lie," Yuan snapped, "the texts say the tree is the one provides the mana!"

"It _does_," Mae said, "without the tree, the mana wouldn't be here."

"Correct," Lartan stated cooly, "the tree is essential. It siphons the mana from the planet core and

distrubutes it to the surface. Pure mana is taken directly from the core of the world, however it is

rarely seen in it's original form as it take on different properties and abilites as it reaches the

surface world, which would be our world."

"But...how could that be true? I would have heard about it..." I frowned.

"Oh, the elves know," Lartan snorted, "they only disclosed it to a select few of the clergy, nobility,

and...other 'special' categories...One of which being us. We were told because of what Mae is..."

"What Mae is?" Martel frowned.

"..." Mae looked away.

"...Everything in the world has a unique mana signature," Kratos stated, "however, you're going to

find isotopes of the mana signatures. Signatures that are near identical."

"The signature for pure mana exuding out of the core of the planet is an isotope of Mae's

signature." Lartan stated curtly. "Mae's mana is 99.9999 percent identical to that of pure mana."

"Wh-what?!" Yuan gasped.

"H-how is that possible?!" Martel yelped.

"Huh-? Wait! What does that mean?!" I asked, confused.

"It means that she can't be human," Yuan's eyes narrowed, "Or elf, half-elf, or anything like that at

all...her mana is almost completely pure, it's impossible to have that and be a mortal being..."

"B-but I am human!!" Mae stammered, "What else would I-?"

"Mae is human." Lartan stated cooly.

"Yes, she's our sister." Kratos added, "She's just..."

"She's closer to a summon spirit than a human being," Yuan hissed, "With that kind of mana?"

"..." Mae looked away, curling into a ball as she pulled her legs to her chest.

"...They were attempting to extract Mae's mana for this reason," Lartan said, "in order to fuse it

with mana taken directly from the planet core, from the very top of the Kharlan Tree."

"But...what would that help them with?" I asked.

"That...we don't know, but it can't be good." Kratos shook his head.

"...You hate me, don't you?"

Martel, Yuan and I flinched, looking at Mae as she muttered the sentence.

"You hate me, because I'm different...don't you?" she mumbled.

I briefly remembered when we had been banished, how they had looked at us. The way they

despised us for simply being halflings...for not being like them...for being different...

"No! Of course not!" I cried.

"Mithos-!" Martel started.

"We'd NEVER think that!!" I shouted, "Mae, you're a GREAT person! Who cares about that?!"

Mae looked at me with her brown eyes wide, gaping at me like a complete idiot. After a minute a

shaky smile wavered on her faces, her eyes watering with tears of joy followed by a grin.

"Y-you mean it?!"

"Yeah," I smiled, "It doesn't matter what you are."

...I believed it, then...that it didn't matter...but then latter I... Come to think of it...Lloyd really is a

lot like me, isn't he? That's the kind of thing he would- he has, said...

We're so much alike, yet we're...

"Thank you, Mithos..." she smiled, sniffling.

Kratos looked at me and gave me a grateful smiling, mussing my hair with his hand.

"Hey-!"

"Thanks." he said.

"...Heh heh." I grinned.

"That's enough talking." Lartan snapped. "We need to decide on a next course of action, they are

most likely scouring the area for us. If you all want to live I suggest we get moving."

I flinched, he was so cold...and mean... Martel shuddred a bit and Yuan glared at him.

"And I thought Kratos was an ass..." he muttered under his breath.

"..." Kratos sighed, "He's right...so where do we go?"

"Might I make a suggestion?"

I flinched. I had all but forgotten the villagers were here as well, as they had been silent as the

Aurions told us the little story... A thought struck me, the soldiers at that base...no way would they

leave the town alone now... All these people where suddenly without homes... I frowned, a feeling

of guilt gnawing at me...

"It would be best to escort the lady to the capital," the mayor said, "where she will be properly

protected. Seeing as hiding her out in 'the middle of nowhere' didn't seem to work..."

"I suppose that would be-...the capital?" Lartan blurted.

My eyes went wide. What the...? Was it just me, or did Lartan looked scared...?

"T-the capital!?" Mae gasped, "No-! I mean...can't we go somewhere else, please?"

"Huh? What's wrong with the capital?" Kratos blinked.

"Uh...n-nothing, it's just-" Mae stammered.

"I'd rather not go to the capital," Lartan sulked.

"Why not?" a Lloyd-like grin flashed on Kratos' face, "I've always wanted to see it!!"

"Kratos!" Lartan snapped, "This isn't a field trip, this has nothing to do with your desires!!"

"...Hmph..." Kratos snorted, looking away.

"...What's...wrong with the capital?" Martel asked slowly.

"Hm..." Yuan's eyes narrowed.

"Nothing." Lartan snapped, "...Let's head for the nearest town, we'll decide our next course of

action upon our arrival there."

Lartan stalked off and I distinctly remembered Kratos grumbling under his breath:

"But I want to see it..."

**Heheheh, Kratos acts like Lloyd... I just feel like he did at one time, but then after four **

**thousand years...ugh. It even says ****in that one scene where Kratos trains Lloyd. Lloyd **

**gets all fusturated because he's not getting it right and Kratos is ****telling him to calm down **

**by 'taking deep breathes, count to ten, relax'. The way he said it, you just know Kratos **

**had the ****same problem once upon a time...heheheheh...**

**Review?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter eight! Though I only have like four readers for this story...I **

**mean, holy crap. Even my Baten Kaitos fic has ****double this amount of **

**readers! o.O I must suck at angst...**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

"Ugh!"

"Hey! Are you all right?"

I watched as Martel left my side, yet again. The trip through the wilderness to

the town wasn't easy, that was for sure. So many of the villagers were injured,

they had been stumbling all over the place. Of course...everytime that

happened, Martel was by their side in a millisecond. Even when they said they

were fine she would look them over, heal them, if need. I was worried about

her, if she kept exhausting her mana like that for healing spells...

"I'm fine..." the man said.

"Are you sure?" Martel asked, "Is your pack too heavy, do you want me to

carry some?"

He smiled, "I'll be fine, I just tripped."

"O-oh...!" Martel blushed, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, your concern is very comforting." he grinned, "You're a very kind

young woman."

"...Thank you." she blushed, "...Are you sure you don't want me to help?"

"I said I'm fine."

I sighed. Martel did this everytime someone stumbled, and they had been

stumbling alot. I myself was carrying a few things that the injured couldn't,

though they were wearing me out...

"She's kinda silly, isn't she?" Yuan sighed.

"Silly!?" I snapped, "She's nice! How is that silly!?"

"Well, she's not SILLY, but they way she does it...you just don't see people

that care that much anymore..." he muttered, a slight smirk on his face, "She's

a one in a million."

I smiled, "Damn right. Martel's the best sister in the world."

I heard a laugh as Kratos caught up to us, carrying a little more than what he

had been minutes prior. The exhausted looking man behind him wore a

relieved expression, leading me to believe Kratos had taken on the weight for

him. Even he was starting to look beat, however... Lartan was at the head of

the group, carrying at least fifty pounds, and he didn't look fazed at all! It

made me so mad how easy it was for him...I felt so inferior, but then, I think

Kratos did too...

"Well, Martel's nice." Kratos smiled, "But I have to say my sister's the best."

"Hah!" I laughed, smiling, "Mae can't compare to Martel!"

He smirked, "I said I _have _to say Mae is better, or she'll hurt me."

"I HEARD THAT!" Mae cried from ahead.

"...How does she do that?" Yuan stared.

"Beats me, she always knows..." he sighed.

Martel caught up to us a moment afterward, looking a little preoccupied.

"What's the matter, sis?" I asked.

"I feel so bad..." she muttered, "all this trouble they have to go through..."

"Well, it's not your fault," Yuan shrugged, "if anyones, it's Maes."

"Yuan..." Kratos hissed.

"Yuan!" Martel cried, "That's awful!"

"Huh-? I-" Yuan stammered.

"Mae didn't want any of this to happen! So don't blame her!!"

Yuan cringed and I almost fell over. Martel was always so...scary, when it

came to standing up for people. I mean, it's good, because she cares about

people but...she's a little obsessive.

"...Thank you, Martel," Kratos smiled.

"Hm? For what?" she asked.

"For not blaming her...anyone else in your situtation would have..."

"Like Yuan?" I pointed.

"Watch it, twerp..." he growled.

When Martel wasn't looking, I stuck my tounge out at him.

**Well, sorry about this guys...but I'm putting this on hiatus. This is my **

**least read story and it's cutting into my time writing ****my other more **

**popular ones. Once I finish some of my other stories I'll come back to **

**this. I just bit off more than I can ****chew, so...I'm sorry. I'll continue it **

**someday. Lo siento mucho, gomen nasai, sorry. I know I could've left **

**you with more, ****but I couldn't think of anything for the story, and I **

**didn't want to leave you with nothing...and I don't want to delete it, I **

**have something good in mind..but not alot of people care, so...sorry.**


	9. Chapter 9

**...Yeah, the hiatus is over. n.n' No sooner had I put it on hiatus I started getting urges to write this again...so I finally **

**said 'hell with it' and got to writing another chapter. I'm sorry it took so long. n.n'**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

"WWWWWWWOOOOOOWWWWW!!!"

I couldn't hide my awe as I looked up at the city gates, though I wasn't the only one, seeing as Kratos looked like Lloyd on a sugar

rush...yeah, that's uh...something...

"This place is amazing!!" Kratos grinned.

"It's so cool!" I gasped.

I had never seen buildings so tall, nor so many of them in the same place. This was a city in it's peak, back when magitechnology

was in it's prime. Buildings, as in, skyscrapers. I had read of them, but I was still amazed. Most of them were made of glass, like

the Altimira hotel, with elevators, warp pads, and all sorts of things I'm sure Raine would've had a stroke upon seeing. Of course,

those were the resorts or work buildings, some of the less nice ones being housing complexes. The average homes or stores were

more like the buildings I was used to. One or two stories, brick, but with volt-mana-powered lights and sliding doors. Then of

course, the roads were stuffed with people and animals, being sent to or from markets via carriages.

"Look at that..." Yuan whispered.

The skies were crammed with rheairds zooming about, some of them larger than most, seeing as they were developed for cargo

and the like. The city was bustling, though troops armed with anything from knives to mana blasters stood alert everywhere.

Including the gate we were approaching...

"Halt!" a soldier said. "Identify yourselves!"

"I am Colonel Lartan V. Aurion," Lartan said, saluting, "Fifth division, section one, Royal Tethe'allan armed forces."

"Lieutenant Kratos G. Aurion," Kratos did the same, "Twentieth division, section 587, Royal Tethe'allan armed forces."

"The Aurion brothers?" the guard looked surprised.

"We had an MIA on both of you," said his partner.

"I can explain everything, take me to your commanding officer."

"Colonel Aurion, who are...?"

Lartan looked back at us, then nodded.

"This woman here is my sister, Mae L. Aurion," he said, gesturing to Mae, "the remaining members of this group are the survivors

of Karfist village. With the exception of the three elves in the back."

"Elves?"

"We're refugees," Yuan said, "we helped rescue Mae."

"I see- ...Mae? THE Mae L. Aurion?"

Both of the soldiers turned to stare at her and she fidgeted.

"Yes." Lartan stated. "Further reason to grant us passage."

"...H-how do we know you're not impostors?"

"Check her mana signature, that should be proof enough."

Lartan nodded toward Mae and she stepped forward, holding out her hand. I watched as the first guard took out some strange

scanner-like gadget I later came to know as just that, a scanner for identifying mana signatures.

"..." the guard paled.

"...Yep, that's her all right..." the second muttered.

"O-our apologies! Please go right ahead! If you follow this main road you'll come to the mayor's residence. Ask for Brigadier

General Nyure." he said.

"The Brigadier General is here?" Kratos blinked, puzzled. "What for?"

"That's classified, Lieutenant Aurion."

"No matter, let's go," Lartan stated, brushing past them.

The rest of us followed suit into the city, but I couldn't stop staring! There were so many things here..it was...just amazing!

"Wow!" Martel smiled. "This place is so amazing!"

"No kidding!" Yuan nodded. "Look at that building! See how tall it is?!"

"Country hicks..." Lartan muttered.

"Hey-!!" I snapped. "What the hell-?! What gives you the right to call us that?! You're from the country side too, mister!!"

Lartan merely ignored me, taking Mae's hand and leading her off with the villagers right behind them.

"...Prick," Yuan muttered.

"...I'm sorry about him," Kratos sighed, "he's..."

"A prick." Yuan said again.

"Well...yes," he rubbed the back of his neck.

"That's not nice," Martel shook her head, "even if he is a little...mean."

"A little, Martel?" I sighed.

"Well..." she blushed.

"We should hurry up," Yuan said, "or else we'll lose them."

"Huh? Right." I nodded. "Let's go."

We followed Lartan and the others as we made our way through the city. The further in we went, the more amazed I was. Martel

and Yuan had stopped staring after a couple minutes, but I was still gaping...at least I wasn't the only one.

"Hey! Did you see THAT, Mithos!?" Kratos asked, tapping my shoulder.

"OH COOL!" I cried. "Advertisement projectors!!"

"Would you two idiots knock it off!?" Yuan snapped.

"Geez..." I muttered.

"Douche," Kratos grumbled.

"Ay..." Yuan rubbed his temple, "morons..."

"Don't be mean, Yuan," Martel said, "they're just excited.

"Well yes, but they've been 'excited' for fifteen minutes," he muttered.

"Well..." Martel smiled, flushing, "Uhm..."

"Hey, I think that's the building!" Kratos said.

I looked where my human friend was pointing and gasped. The mayor of this place sure was well in the money, for sure...the place

was three stories and about as wide as half the village of Karfist. Damn...

"All right, Mae and I are going in, Mayor, would you come with us?" Lartan asked.

"W-what? Hey! What about the rest of us!?" I snapped.

"No kidding!" Kratos joined in. "What's the deal, Lartan!?"

"We don't need any loudmouthed brats in there," he stated cooly.

"Loudmouthed-!?" Kratos snapped.

"BRATS!?" I growled.

"I rest my case," he snorted, "Mae, let's go."

"Uh...well- hey-!"

Lartan had grabbed Mae's wrist and pulled her into the manor, the Mayor of what was left of Karfist following them inside.

So...we were left to stand in the lawn. Needless to say, we weren't kosher with it...

"Who does he think he is?" Yuan sneered. "What are we, lawn ornaments?!"

"Now Yuan, I'm sure Lartan has a very good reason..." Martel smiled weakly.

"So what, we just wait out here?" I whined.

"Unless we want him to yell at us, then yes..." a villager said.

Silence.

"Well, I'm bored, I'll see you later," Kratos turned.

"W-what?!" we stared.

"I sure as hell am not sitting here for who knows how long," he huffed, then took on a more serious and calm disposition, like when

we first met, "besides...it'd be a good opportunity to check out the surroundings, in case something happens."

"BULL!" Yuan shouted. "You just want to goof off!"

"Well yes," Kratos smiled, "but that excuse made it sound like I didn't, right?"

Martel and I sighed as Yuan's eye twitched.

"Kratos, you know you can't go off," a villager snarled.

"Oh what do you care?" Kratos glared. "From what I recall, it'd be best if I got lost."

"Huh?" I blinked.

"Oh, nothing," Kratos laughed, "anyway, catch you later."

Kratos turned and walked down the pathway back into the city...

"Hey! Get back here you auburn-headed bipolar nut!" Yuan snapped.

"Excuse me?" Kratos turned, glaring at him.

"You heard me, spiky!" Yuan snapped.

"Spiky...?" Martel blinked.

"No way in hell are we letting you waltz off alone!"

"Yeah?" Kratos snarled.

"Yeah!" Yuan snapped.

"Yeah?!"

"YEAH!"

"Well I'll tell you something ponytail," Kratos sneered, "I'm more than old enough to do whatever the hell I want, so if you'll run

back to your keeper-" he pointed at Martel "And let me got my own damn way, we can keep arguing later."

"My KEEPER!?"

"He wishes," I smirked.

"Keep out of this, brat!" Yuan snapped.

"Keep outta this, brat!" I mocked.

"Everyone, please, stop!" Martel cried.

"Whatever! Kratos, you are not going off to get us in trouble!"

"Well, if I'm not here when he notices I'm gone, it's your problem, isn't it?"

"You son of a bitch..." Yuan growled.

"Pony-tailed freak." Kratos snapped back.

"Farm hick!"

"Smartass!"

"Dumbass!"

"Musclehead!"

"Wimp!"

"Ignorant cow-yanking sheep-shearing inbred bastard!"

"W-well-!...You...pointy-eared person!" Kratos started.

I didn't point out the fact Yuan's ears weren't pointed, which was best I didn't in case it drew any attention to the guise of 'elves'.

"HAH! I win!" Yuan flipped him off.

"Why you-!!" Kratos grabbed his collar, pulling back his fist.

"BOTH OF YOU KNOCK IT OFF!"

We almost fell over and I gaped at Martel, who was red in the face from having just shouted at them to shut up. We were stunned

a moment before she took a few deep breathes to calm herself down.

"...Right," she sighed.

Kratos and Yuan were staring at her, gaping like idiots.

"Kratos, put him down," Martel glared, "now."

"..." Kratos dropped Yuan, staring at her.

"Yuan, apologize to Kratos."

"But-!"

Martel glared.

"...I'm...sorry..." he forced.

"Good, now Kratos, apologize to Yuan."

"...I'm sorry." Kratos said.

"Well...now that that's settled," she smiled brightly, "you two can start being friends!"

"WHAT!?" they blurted.

"Did I miss something...?" I stared at her.

"Well, if they fight like that I'm sure they'll be great friends!" she grinned. "Yuan never had any friends in the village, and he got

along with everyone..."

I sighed, "Martel, what kinda logic is that...?"

"Like I'd be friends with HIM," Yuan snarled at Kratos.

"My sentiments exactly," he spat coldly, "now, I'm going..."

Kratos turned and walked out-

"Wait! You shouldn't go by yourself! You might get lost!" I said.

"...Eh, I'll ask directions," he shrugged.

"Directions? Idiot..." Yuan rolled his eyes.

"...C'mon, Yuan!" I grabbed his sleeve and followed Kratos.

"W-what!? What the hell do you-!?"

"I want to see the city! And he SHOULDN'T go by himself!" I smiled.

"Mithos-!" Martel scoffed.

"Come on sis! Let's go!"

I raced off down the street with Yuan in tow as he swore bodily harm on me, Kratos following after us. I heard Martel's shouts as

she followed after the rest of us, earning us some stares from people on the streets. Once we had gone a ways Yuan wrenched

free of my grip and glared death at me.

"You...!"

"Hey! Let's go down that way!" Kratos smiled, pointing down a street.

"All right!" I grinned. "Let's go-!"

"Would you two stop!?" Yuan snapped.

"Guys, we really should get back..." Martel said.

"...All right then," I said, "...but first we check out that store!"

"I concur!" Kratos ran after me.

"GET BACK HERE YOU IDIOTS!!" Yuan snapped.

**I'm sorry it's short, I'll make the next one longer...n.n' I'm sorry I panicked you with the hiatus...and I do so love **

**KratosYuan fights. X3 Count on more, eeheheh...**

**Review...if I'm worthy of forgiveness? (Puppy eyes)**


	10. Chapter 10

**I swear I- NEVER MEANT TO LET IT DIE-! ...Sorry, song craze. n.n I love Three Days Grace...and Skillet...and **

**Daughtry...and Linkin Park...and Rascal Flatts... Geez, I'm becoming a real music junkie, huh? n.n' Oh yeah, a note, **

**someone mentioned this story seems more centered around the Aurions than Mithos. I'm doing that on purpose, **

**because you know in the game where pre-tower is mostly all about Colette? Everyone's after Colette, everyone **

**admires Colette, everything's happening to Colette...then after the tower Lloyd takes up the bat? I'm going along kind **

**of like that, I figured history repeats itself...**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing at all.**

I gaped at the objects held in the shelves, amazed that such things could possibly exist at all. I was so amazed by it all

back then...and now they were just...nothing to me, a lot of things ended up like that to me... Kratos was poking at some

object which began to make noise, he flinched and then attempted to turn it off, but only succeeded in almost dropping it

and he yelped before he managed to catch it. The storekeeper gave him an irritated look and he laughed nervously, slowly

placing the trinket back on the shelf before moving to a different part of the room.

"...Klutz," I smirked.

"You be silent," he hissed, glaring at me.

Dang his personality swings mess me up...

"Okay okay...geez..." I said, "you scare me sometimes..."

"Do I?" he smirked. "Aw...is widdle Miwthos scawed?"

See what I mean? I suppose four-thousand years manages to settle your personality on one or the other...

"Oh shut up," I muttered.

"There you are!"

"Hey, Yuan found us," I said.

"Hey there, pony-tail," Kratos smiled.

"I told you to stop calling me that!" he snapped. "Mithos! Stop worrying Martel like that!"

"What? I'm fine! Besides, it's not like I went off by myself!"

"I don't care! Kratos, although he certainly doesn't act like it, is old enough to take care of himself, you're just a child!"

"By our standards, you and sis are children too," I pointed out.

Yuan whacked me upside the head.

"Ow-!!" I started.

"Yuan!"

The look on Yuan's face was absolutely priceless. He turned slowly to see Martel was scoffing at him, looking a bit

mad...and she doesn't get mad easily, she never did. Yuan stammered a bit...

"M-martel...!"

"Why are you smacking my little brother?!" she snapped.

"M-martel-! I just-! Really I-!"

Martel began to chew him out as the damn cape-wearer stammered out some excuses, Kratos and I thought the whole

thing was amusing, actually, so we stood there and watched the whole thing.

"...She's got him whipped," he said.

"Yep," I said.

"...He's a sissy,"

"Yep,"

"...We should take pictures," he smirked.

I grinned, "Yep...but uh-"

Kratos waggled his eyebrows and pulled a small machine, which was a camera, out of his pack. I grinned wider and

nodded, then Kratos snapped a picture right when Martel began shaking Yuan by the collar and he was blubbering like a

baby. ...We found that not too long ago, actually... Heh, by now I'll bet Lloyd or someone will see it... Perhaps they'll show

it to the damn blue-head and embarrass the hell out of him for me... Kratos still has that at least, the urge always to get

one over on Yuan... That never changed, at least...

"D-did you just take my picture!?" Yuan blurted.

Kratos looked at him, then at the camera...then pointed at me.

"What-!?" I blurted. "Kratos you-!"

"Give me that camera-!!"

"NEVER!"

Then Kratos and Yuan began to fight over it

"..." Martel and I blinked.

"Give it here-!"

"Are you nuts?! No-!"

"GIVE ME!"

"NEVER!"

"I'LL GUT YOU FOR THIS I SWEAR-!!"

"HAH! LIKE YOU COULD!"

"OH YOU SON OF A-!"

The Martel grabbed them both by an ear.

"Ah-!"

"Guh-!"

"Both of you stop fighting right this instant!" she snapped. "They'll throw us out of the store!"

"Um...Sis? Too late..." I said, pointing at the approaching shop-keeper.

"...Uh-oh..."

Less than a minute later we were outside again.

"...This is all your fault!" Yuan snapped at Kratos.

"Mine!? You were the one who-"

"I SAID STOP FIGHTING!" Martel roared, going red in the face.

They both stopped.

"Hff...hfff..." she pouted, "this is NO way for friends to act!"

"Um...Martel...why are you so sure they're friends?" I asked.

"Huh? Because...they are!" she smiled.

The rest of us took Kratos' '...' line.

"A-anyway, we should probably head back before Mr. Lartan and Mae find out we're gone..."

Kratos sighed, "You head back if you wish, I'm staying out here."

"...You don't like your brother very much, huh, Kratos?" I asked.

"..."  
"...You don't even like the village very much, do you?"

He turned away from me.

I remembered looking at him, trying to figure it out. He was like some sort of puzzle that teased me with how it seemed cut

and clean and then suddenly as complex as the world itself. I wondered what caused him to act like this...he acted like

such a child sometimes, and then he just would close himself off without warning, becoming cold and distant again... ...Of

course...later on he never did act like a child again, later on he kept closed off...was...that my fault...?

"...Hey Kratos? Mind if I ask you about your family?"

"Hm? You've already met-"

"Yeah, I mean...your parents and stuff..."

I know it seemed like a strange thing to ask about all of a sudden, but I was just wondering...if they were sent to Karfist to

protect Mae, where exactly did they live before and why didn't their parents go with them? From what I gathered, they just

sent them off...

"...I never really knew them," Kratos stated, "...Lartan, Mae and I moved out to Karfist when I was three...I barely

remember where we lived before...truth be told I can't remember anything."

"What?" Martel asked. "Mae acted like she knew..."

"Well of course she does, she's eldest," Kratos stated.

"She is?" I stared. "I thought she was the youngest..."

"She's in her early thirties,"

Yuan, Martel and I almost fell over.

"R-really?" Martel stared.

"Aren't humans supposed to be...starting to look older at that point?"

"Well...yes, but Mae's not exactly normal and all..." Kratos rubbed the back of his neck.

"So how old's Lartan?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Twenty-nine," Kratos stated, "almost thirty."

"...So you're the baby brother, eh?" Yuan smirked.

"Is that a problem?" he glared.

"N-no,"

"...So you really never knew your Mother and Father?" Martel frowned. "That's so sad..."

"...What kind of parent does that?!" I snapped. "What kind of- what kind of parent shoves their kid out of their lives and

doesn't even bother to-!? I HATE people like that! I HATE them!"

"...Mithos..."

I was thinking about Dad...how he just watched as we were thrown out of Heimdal...he...he didn't say a thing...he didn't

care... How could he not care?! After he had raised us...how could he just throw us away like that?! How could he just

watch as we-?! We-!?

"Mithos..."

Martel put her hand on my shoulder.

"Mithos..it's okay..." she smiled weakly, "it's okay..."

"Tch," Yuan spat.

Martel...she was so strong...she was still happy all the time, worrying about me while she was just as hurt...if not more

hurt than I was. There I was whining like a baby while she was standing up trying to protect me from thinking like that...

Why...why did they take her!? What did she ever do to deserve to die?! Why did those BASTARD humans have to-!?

"...Look, I'm sorry if I made you feel...bad," Kratos told me, "...I won't talk about it anymore."

I forced a laugh.

"Don't be stupid, I asked, didn't I?" I smiled a bit.

"...Heh," he smirked.

"...Wait," Yuan frowned, "...so where did you live before?"

"I told you, I don't remember,"

"You never asked?"

"...Well...no," Kratos admitted.

"...Really..."

Martel and I looked at Yuan, I didn't quite get what he was asking about that for... I mean, it's just where he lived, right? I

mean sure, I was curious, but what did it really matter? Oh well, Yuan was always weird like that...it didn't matter much to

me. After a minute Kratos blinked.

"Right...well anyway, I'll just be heading off-" Kratos started.

"Halt! You there!"

Kratos swore under his breath when several guardsmen walked up to u s.

"Are you Kratos Aurion?" one pointed.

"..."

"So what if he is?" I asked.

"Stay out of this, child,"

"Ch-!?"

"I am," Kratos said.

"The Brigadier General has sent for you," he said, "Mae Aurion is concerned for you."

Kratos sighed, "Look-"

"And Lartan Aurion demands we use force if necessary,"

They took out weapons.

"...I'll be happy to accompany you, gentlemen," Kratos said politely.

"Pussy," I muttered.

"MITHOS!" Martel cried.

"M-martel I-!"

SMACK!

...Hm...deja vu...

So we ended up back where we started, before the manor...

"There you are,"

Lartan was standing before the door glaring at us, and by the look on his face he had been waiting for quite a bit.

"What do you think you were doing wandering off?" he hissed at Kratos. "Didn't I tell you to stay put?"

"My apologies, oh esteemed over-ruler of my life," Kratos did a mock bow, "next time I'll ask your permission before I dare

to act on thoughts of my own."

Lartan snarled.

"Fine, hurry up and come inside, Brigadier General Nyure is waiting."

"What? I thought you told Kratos to stay out?" I asked.

"I mean the four of you, now be quiet and come in,"

"Us?" I stared. "What does he want with us?"

"I'm sure he'll tell you, now get moving," Lartan snapped and walked inside.

"...Putz," Yuan muttered.

"Yuan! Not in front of Mithos!" Martel cried.

As we walked inside I noticed something... The place was oddly quiet...and where had all the villagers from before gone

anyway? I felt a chill up my spine...something was off here... The guards on either side of us...and behind us...it felt like

they were boxing us in... Was I imagining it-? Wait no...Kratos was really quiet, his hand was on his sword...Lartan's own

hand was slowly creeping to his own sword after he briefly glanced to the soldier on his side...

"...Sis..." I whispered.

"I know," she said, "...stay quiet..."

"...I don't like this..." Yuan hissed.

"The Briagdier General awaits you in here," one soldier said.

Slowly we entered...and they followed us in.

"Greetings,"

A large, bald man with a beard was seated at a desk, donned in heavy, dark blue armor. I shuddered at the cold gray of his

eyes as he examined us...I didn't like him, I just did not like him...

"...Where's my sister?" Lartan asked.

"Your sister?" he asked. "Colonel, why so rude all of a sudden?"

"Where's Mae?!" Kratos snapped.

"Lieutenant, I don't believe I like your tone..."

"W-wait-! What's going on here?!" I stammered. "W-where are all the villagers?! Where's Mae?! Why are Kratos and

Lartan-!? What's going on-!?"

"Silence the boy,"

There was suddenly a piece of some very sharp metal at my throat.

"..." I shut up.

"...Nyure, what the hell are you doing?" Lartan hissed.

The man smirked as he got to his feet, walking toward us.

"Me? Nothing, it's orders from higher up..."

"You liar," Lartan hissed.

"I jest you not, Lartan," he glared, but at the same time he was smirking, "surely you've thought of it, haven't you? That

entire village, sending you out just to protect her...if our enemies get a hold of that mana, what will happen? So why

bother trying to buy time for her, when we know eventually she will be taken..."

Kratos was twitching, his hand tight on the hilt.

"When we can simply take it before they do?" Nyure finished.

"You'll kill her-!!" Kratos shouted.

"That's treason!" Lartan snapped. "Mae is-!"

"My orders come from the General," Nyure stated, "I do what he sees fit...not that I don't agree with this."

"THUNDER BLADE!"

Before I knew what had happened someone had grabbed me and pulled me aside just as a field of electricity blasted the

hell out of the soldiers around us. Martel was holding my wrist tightly and then we were running... Lartan and Kratos took

advantage of the opportunity to race out of the room where Nyure was barking out orders to the guards the spell had

missed...

"Nice going!" Kratos yelled at Yuan.

"Well you humans weren't getting anywhere!" he smirked.

"They'll be on our tail, we need to find Mae and get out of here," Lartan said from the front.

"So what just-?!" I stammered.

"Long story short, Nyure's a traitor to the throne, trying to take Mae's mana," Kratos stated.

"W-what-? But-!"

"I should've known something was up!" Lartan growled. "I wondered where they took the villagers!!"

"Where did the-!?"

"Less talking more running!" Yuan snapped.

We came to a fork...

"She's toward the right!" I cried.

Her mana was hard to miss after all...

"Let's go!" Kratos stated.

"HALT!"

More soldiers were running for us... Lartan, of course, hacked down the ones in the front while Kratos took the rear and

knocked out anyone of them that came through the doors or hallways...

"She's down there!" I cried.

We tore down the stairs into what was apparently a dungeon of some kind... Where someone was bashing against the

door from the other side, yelling out curses and threats to whoever could hear.

"Let me out of this you-!!"

Lartan took out the guards and then...well, he doesn't like doors.

"Well it's about time!" Mae scoffed, stepping out. "I was wondering where you went!"

"Oh thank mana you're okay..." Kratos sighed, "...what happened to the villagers?"

"..." Mae's face fell.

"...I see," Lartan stated, "...they were...dispatched of, yes?"

Mae nodded grimly.

"What?" I asked. "Y-you mean the villagers are...?"

"It's to be expected, this is high treason," Lartan snapped, "Nyure wants to make sure there is no one who can bear

witness against him. He'll want our heads too, we must get out of this city."

"Then where?" Yuan snapped. "If the Brigadier General's got a strong hold on the government's manor, it's safe to say the

entire armed forces in this area are going to be after us in a matter of hours!"

"Um..." I trailed.

"What?"

"...He said he was working for the General, didn't he? So doesn't that mean...?"

"...Oh, okay, I was wrong, the ENTIRE TETHE'ALLAN ARMY will be after us in a matter of hours!"

"Damn bastard Nyure!" Kratos growled.

"...We're going to have to go to the capital," Mae said.

"The-?" Lartan paled.

"If the General is truly behind this, the only ones who can possibly help us are the King and Queen," Mae stated, "...I don't

see much of another choice. If Sylvarant AND Tethe'alla are both..."

She paused a moment.

"...Maybe I should just stay-" she started.

"What?! Are you nuts?! They'll kill you!" I cried.

"But if I-"

"They'll kill us no matter what happens now!" I snapped. "So you might as well come with us!"

"Mithos is right," Martel nodded, "no matter what your mana's like, they have no right to..."

"Grr... Come on! We need to go-!" I said.

"So soon?"

There were suddenly a LOT of guards blocking the exit...Nyure heading them.

"You..." Kratos growled.

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to leave here alive..." he smiled in mock kindness, "well...no, no I can't."

"You can't do this!" Lartan snapped.

"Watch,"

"You-!!"

"There are others who can take your place, yours and Kratos'," Nyure smirked, "so you can just disappear."

"Martel-!" I cried.

Suddenly there was a bright light...and mana, a lot of mana... Then suddenly I was standing on grass, gripping onto

Martel's arm in the middle of what looked like a forest...

"W-what the-!?"

I looked around, Yuan was a few feet from us, Kratos was looking around almost as bewildered as I was, and Mae was

kneeling down by Lartan...who was on the ground panting.

"What the hell just happened?!" Kratos cried.

"Teleportation?" Yuan whispered. "That takes a huge supply of mana..."

"Lartan did it?" Martel stared.

"No, humans don't have that much-!"

I just then registered Lartan's appearance and my jaw dropped.

"Um...Martel...?"

"Where are we?!" Kratos was still shocked.

"Kratos...?" I trailed.

"Calm down you knuckle head!" Yuan snapped.

"Yuan-?"  
"Everyone just-" Martel stated.

"GUYS!" I shouted. "LOOK!"

Lartan had pulled himself up into a sitting position, still breathing heavily. Mae looked at us, then at Lartan, then back at us

as if she had done something wrong... Kratos' face had become expressionless, and Yuan, Martel and I were gaping like

complete and total idiots.

"What...are those...?" I gaped.

Bright crimson wings made from mana were fluttering gently from Lartan's back.

"...Um..." Mae stammered.

"What the hell?!" Kratos shouted. "Lartan-!? You have-?! What-!?"

"Hff...hff..."

Lartan glared at us, almost daring us to say anything.

"What ARE you!?" I shouted.

...Okay, so I dared to say something.

"W-wait! I can explain!" Mae ran in front of him.

"Mae-!? You knew about this?!" Kratos shouted.

"Well...yes, but-!"

"O-o-o-okaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy..." Yuan shook his head, "...I give up, Mae's a mana isotope, Lartan's got wings, Kratos is

just a plain freak, is there anything else we should know about you three?"

"The wings are..." Mae sighed, "...do you know about exspheres?"

"I've heard about them, they're supposed to enhance the wearer's abilities, right?" I asked.

"Yes...lately they've developed a new form of exsphere...Lartan equipped one and then...this happened to him," Mae

stated, looking at his wings, "I...didn't want you all to know..."

"What...?" Kratos gaped. "...Mae, how did you know about that when I didn't!?"

"...I..." Mae trailed.

"Why didn't you-? Why wasn't I-?" Kratos stammered. "...WINGS from some kind of exsphere!?"

"Tch," Lartan spat, dissolving them, "are you jealous, little brother?"

"I just want to know why I wasn't told about this!!" Kratos roared.

"Kratos..." Mae trailed, "...look it's...it's complicated-"

"I'm your BROTHER!"

"Kratos-!" Mae started.

Kratos started to walk away.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?!" Lartan snapped. "Splitting up is NOT a smart thing to-"

"Fuck off," Kratos snapped, storming off.

Kratos ignored him as he snapped threats... I of course, was extremely curious of this 'new form' of exsphere, but instead I

followed Kratos, trying to get him to calm down, I guess...

"Kratos-" I started.

"I'm not in the mood, Mithos," he stated.

"But I-"

"No,"

"...Oh stop acting like a kid!" I snapped.

Kratos stopped and glared at me.

"...Uhm..."

"Excuse me?" he hissed.

"...Y...you're..."

I swallowed.

"...You're acting like a kid!" I said again, looking him in the eye. "I realize you're mad and all...but walking off like this is just

stupid! What's it going to help!? You're just running away form the problem!"

"I-"

"It's true!" I snapped. "You can't just LEAVE like that!! If you want to get to the bottom of it, talk to them for the love of

Derris-Kharlan! I mean, yeah, I'm weirded out too but still!"

"..." Kratos sighed. "...I suppose you're right..."

"I am right!" I said.

"Heh," he smirked, "confident when you need to be, aren't you?"

"Hey..." I pouted.

"...All right..." he sighed, "..."

"...I realize you must feel really bad because you didn't know...and they're your brother and sister and stuff..." I trailed,

"...but...well...acting like this isn't going to help, you know?"

"..." he nodded.

"...Look, if you ever need to let off steam to someone or something...I know I'm not much but..."

He laughed, "No, it's fine, thank you for offering however."

"..Heh," I smiled.

"...All right, I'll go back," he sighed.

I smiled, "Don't worry...I want to know about that 'new' exsphere too..."

"Hmph, indeed..." he muttered.

"...Now you're sounding like your brother," I said.

"ACK!" Kratos jolted. "Take that back-!!"

I already ran back to hide behind Martel.

"Brave," Yuan stated.

"Oh shut up, Yuan..."

Though...Mae and Lartan definitely had a lot to tell us...or rather, I lot they should have told us...

**Okay...so it took five months. And seventy-two hours when I said twenty four if you read that thing on 'Growth **

**Spurt'...either way, I apologize greatly for the wait, and hope you somehow enjoyed this chapter... I'm getting in to **

**actual plot now, so if you, you know, like...please review? n.n'**


	11. Chapter 11

**THE MARSHMALLOWS MADE ME DO IT!!**

**...Don't ask. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Are you sure you're-?"

"I'm fine!"

Mae looked a bit put off when Lartan snapped at her, seeing as she had been trying to comfort him after the mana he had

lost. Lartan, of course, was about as much the 'huggy' type as Lloyd was the calculus type. Anna must've been an idiot,

because even if Kratos did act a lot like that son of his back then, he was never REALLY stupid...reckless and loud at times,

but never STUPID.

"...Charge!"

"Huh-?"

Lartan jolted as a bright green light engulfed him, then faded.

"Martel-?" I asked.

Sis used the spell for mana transfusion. It was pretty much a spell that allowed the patient to recover some mana, though it

took a bit from her...

"Sis, are you okay?" I asked.

"Yes," she smiled at me, "I'm good at support spells, remember?"

It was true, she hardly seemed tired at all. Martel was a natural at white magic...

"..." Lartan frowned, looking less tired than before.

"Thank you!" Mae smiled. "Right, Lartan-?"

"I didn't ask for your help," he spat, getting to his feet.

"Grr..." I snarled, glaring at him.

"Prick," Yuan snorted.

"Kindly shut your mouth before I do so, half-elf," he spat.

Then we all froze.

"H-half-elf-? We're elves-" Yuan started.

"Oh bull," Lartan spat, "that 'elf' charade won't always help you."

"..." I twitched.

How...how did he know? Did Kratos or Mae tell him? They knew, but we had been telling Lartan we were elves this whole

time...mostly because he was a total jerk. Still...

"I can sense mana just like you can," Lartan glared, "I know you're not elves."

Now see, I took this as a surprise back then. He could sense our mana?! How the HELL could he sense our mana?! Even if

he could, then...

"How can you-?!"

"Comes with the wings," he stated, "true, I can't sense it as well as you three can, but I can at least sense enough to

recognize a half-elf when I see one."

Half-elves. He was calling us half-elves again. I...I didn't like how he called us that, how he said it, how he looked at us... It

was just like in Heimdall, when the elves started calling us that...when they started treating us like that...when they threw

us out into the war...

"Mithos?"

I looked up at Martel, who had noticed my expression.

"...Mithos, it's okay," she said, "it'll be okay..."

...Stupid...stupid people...why did they treat us like that...? Why did they do that? ...Why did...why did they take my sister,

damn it all!? What did she do to ever deserve that?! SHE DIDN'T! SHE DIDN'T DESERVE IT!

"So what if they're half-elves?" Kratos hissed, coming to our defense.

"Lartan...they've been helping us all this time, you can't be like that-" Mae started.

"Tch, fine," he huffed, "not being exactly human myself, I accede to the fact I have no place to speak."

We calmed down a little, though Yuan was still glaring.

"...Lartan," Kratos walked up to his brother, "...I-"

"If you're expecting an explanation about the wings, don't hold your breath."

Kratos flinched, as did all of us by how curt and sudden his response was.

"...What?" Kratos hissed.

"I have no reason to tell you, little brother," Lartan said, his voice almost oozing the condescending nature of his

personality, "therefore, I suggest you not expect anything of the sort."

"...You-" Kratos started forward.

"That's enough!" Mae snapped, stomping her foot. "Don't you two DARE start fighting!"

"But Mae-!"

"No buts!" Mae stomped her foot. "...Look, Lartan, stop being such an ass, and Kratos-...look, we just...we didn't tell you for

a reason, and we can't tell you now for another..."

"Well, you mind telling us what the reason is then?" I asked.

"...Look, let's rest here for a while," Mae ignored me, turning to Lartan, "then we can..."

"So what exactly IS your plan of action?" Yuan asked. "Both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla are after your freaky little family, so I

would be a little nervous about now, if I was you."

"Uh, Yuan, this is our problem too," I pointed out.

He scoffed at me.

"Our-?!"

"We were with them," I pointed out, "so..."

"They'll be after your blood too," Kratos finished.

"Either way, it's not like we have anything better to do than go with them," I said.

Needless to say, Yuan was rather ticked off at this but decided to show it by crossing his arms and looking away from us in

his usual manner. Though...Yuan did bring up ONE good point...

"What...are we going to do?" Martel asked.

"...We'll have to head for the capital," Lartan said, frowning even more than usual, "again, the King and Queen are the only

one's who will be able to call off the search for us."

"What makes you sure they will, though?" I asked. "If Nyure said he was working for the General, then how do we not

know the General's under order from the Royal Family?"

"You have a better idea?" Lartan death-glared me.

I hastily shook my head 'no'.

"...We can set up camp and get started in the morning," Lartan said, "...Kratos."

"Yes?" Kratos looked at him.

"..Any of them know any sort of physical combat?"

"You mean with like...a weapon?" I asked. "Uh...no."

"Well, I can use a staff," Martel said, "that's a basic they teach us..."

"A staff," Yuan rolled his eyes, "how do they expect us to fight with a stick? I mean, no offense to you Martel, of course!

But...geez, I'd prefer something with a sharp side on it at least."

"You're always so violent. That's the human side of you talking," I said.

Yuan smacked me upside the head.

"I take offense at that," Kratos said.

"I don't," Mae grinned.

I swear, that grin must have been genetic...

"So none of you are capable of anything other than spells?" Lartan eyed us. "Feh, it's going to be a hassle if we constantly

have to protect you...but I suppose we have no other alternative.

"What-? Wait!" Yuan snapped. "We are most certainly NOT useless-!"

"Not useless, but you will be a burden;" Lartan glared, "casting spells is a valuable asset, but if an enemy comes directly

toward you you're completely vulnerable. You can see how that can be a problem on the battlefield, from all perspectives

except our enemies."

Then he turned to look at me.

"The little one doesn't even know spells,"

I twitched.

"What?! I do so know spells!!"

"I have yet to see you use them," he snorted.

"I...I know them! I just haven't ever...I haven't actually..."

I studied spells, I studied how to draw on mana and release it; I knew the incantations and the state of mind you should

have...but I...never had actually CAST one. It was prohibited in the village until your teacher gave you permission, so...

"As I said, useless," Lartan stated, "and he certainly doesn't look capable of any physical techniques."

"Why you-!!"

"Lartan," Kratos snapped, "leave Mithos alone."

"Feh, taken the little twerp under you wing?" his eyes narrowed.

Kratos twitched at the word 'wing', which Lartan had purposely accented. Kratos growled a second before he shook it off

and tried to ignore it.

"He's just a kid," he stated, "it's no his fault he got into this."

"No, I believe that's yours, isn't it?" he said.

Kratos lost the color in his face as he stopped moving, his mouth falling open slightly.

"Lartan!" Mae snapped at him.

"L-look, everyone..." Martel trailed, "why don't we all just get some rest? It's been a long day, everyone's tired, everyone's

going to say stuff they don't mean. Let's just all calm down..."

I kept my mouth shut but glared at Lartan. That ASS! What right did he have to tell me that I was useless?! First he treated

us like crap for being half-elves, then he just dissed us and his brother and... GRR! What the hell was his problem?! Did he

think I couldn't fight because I was a half-elf?! How did he know whether half-elves could fight or not?! Damn it, the bastard

had never seen Yuan in a fist fight. Yuan could punch. ...Though yeah, the elders really got pissed off when he got into a

brawl with some elf guy for calling him a 'filthy half-blood'. ...Filthy...was I filthy? Dirty blood? Why? I...I never did anything...I

wasn't... How could they hate what was them, too? Elves and humans are separated but half-elves are connected to both

of them. ...Does being the one in between make me a freak? Does being the one...who's different...?

"Mithos? You okay?"

Kratos was looking at me, frowning a bit.

"...I'm fine,"

So we set up camp, and I helped with anything I could while I was still mad. Useless! I wasn't useless...I couldn't be

useless. I helped them FIND Mae, damn it! I was not useless! ...Though...everytime there was a fight... Every time there

was a fight, Martel was covering my eyes, Yuan was standing in front of us, and Kratos and Lartan were actually fighting.

Mae didn't do anything, but he didn't call HER useless! ...Then, that could be because she was the mana isotope and I was

just...me. I growled a bit as a snapped some little branches for firewood. Damn him! Damn him to hell-! ...Wait...

"...Hey, Kratos?"

"Yeah?" he looked at me.

...I wasn't sure how to ask this, but...but I... I didn't want to be useless. I couldn't be useless. ...I needed to be worth

something, anything...if being a half-elf made me useless I had to prove them wrong. I just had to.

"...Do you think...do you think maybe you could teach me how to fight? I mean, if I manage to get a sword somewhere...do

you think I could...?"

"..." he looked at me.

"...Please, Kratos? I want to learn how to use a sword! I want to learn how to- I don't want to be protected all the time! I

want to be able to...I-"

"That's enough,"

"But-"

Kratos smiled softly.

"...I understand, really..." he hesitated, "...as soon as we get our hands on another sword, I'll teach you the basics-"

"Really!?" I cried.

"Well-"

I was ecstatic. I would be able to fight! I wouldn't be useless! I wouldn't be dirt! I was so...SO sick of being dirt! I was so

sick of being useless! I was so sick of people looking at me and thinking that I was scum, that I-

Er...I mean...I would learn how to fight!

"But listen, Mithos," he said, "...this is just to protect yourself if you HAVE to."

"What? You mean...you don't want me to help?"

"...Killing is a terrible thing," he said, his eyes misted, "...I don't ever want you to have to do it."

...To 'have' to? ...I...I didn't have to. I did it...I did it because they deserved it! They all did!

"If...if I have to kill to protect, then...I'll do it,"

Kratos' face fell.

"...Yeah,"

...That same face...

"_Hey, Mithos, you coming?" _

"_Exspheres...they're terrible things, aren't they?"_

"_...Yeah,"_

He had the same-

"Lloyd!"

...What...?

"LLOYD! WAKE UP!"

...Lloyd? What did Lloyd have to do with this-?

"LLOYD!"

* * *

"Wah-!!" I jolted upright, almost falling out of bed.

...Which I did a minute later, hitting the floor and my head too...

"Ouch...I'm up! I'm up! What!?"

Genis was looking down at me, frowning.

"Are you okay, Lloyd? You were mumbling something in your sleep..." he frowned.

Mumbling? Was I mumbling? Wait, when had I fallen asleep? ...Wait.

...Where...where was I? Why was Genis here? Why am I on the ground? What did he call me? Did he...did he call me Lloyd?

Am I Lloyd? I thought I-

...Wait...yeah. I'm Lloyd. I'm Lloyd Irving, we're at the inn in Sybak, we just reunited the worlds yesterday. Yesterday I got

the Eternal Sword, yesterday I-...I...killed...Mithos...? WAIT! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!? I was just- that was- wasn't I-?

But-! I just...that whole thing...wasn't I...? Wasn't..._I _just Mithos? That whole thing with...with Dad, and 'Mae' and 'Lartan'

and Martel and Yuan...? Was...? What...? What's going on...?

"...Lloyd? Are you okay?" Genis asked. "You don't look too well..."

"I...I'm..." I stammered.

Okay...okay. I'm Lloyd. I know I am. I remember going to sleep here, now, I remember germinating the great seed, and I

remember everything... Then...was that a dream? Just a dream? So strange...I had felt...I had thought and felt...just like I

was... I heard footsteps and someone came in the room. It was empty before, except for Genis, so I guess they were

getting breakfast... It's Kratos! I mean...Dad! It's Dad!

"Kratos! I think Lloyd's sick," Genis said, "he's acting strange."

"..."

Dad looked down at me and I scrambled to my feet.

"W-what? I'm fine, really, I just had a hell of a weird dream..." I laughed, rubbing the back of my neck, "like you wouldn't

believe...just really, really weird..."

"...Like what?" Dad frowned.

...Should I tell them? It was just a dream, right? So it wasn't really-

"Did you have a brother named Lartan?!" I blurted.

...Smooth. Damn it I'm stupid sometimes-

"What?" Dad stared.

"...I...uh..." I backed up a bit, "I...had this dream, and you were in it and stuff...and in my dream you had a brother named

'Lartan' so...I... Sorry, it was stupid question-"

"You had a 'dream' about that?"

...Why is Dad looking at me like that?

"...Who else was in your dream?"

"Huh-?"

"Just answer the question,"

Okay...

"Uh...well...there was a lady named 'Mae', and Noishe was a bird, and Yuan and Martel were in it-"

"And what happened? Tell me, just the important things."

...I don't think I like where this is going.

So I told him about the dream, about him finding Mithos and going to 'Karfist', about Mae being some kinda...well, something

about her mana signature; about that 'Nyure' guy, about Lartan and how much of an ass he was, about being on the run...

Once I was done Dad stared at me a minute, and Genis was beginning to fidget a bit. ...I definitely don't like where this is

going... Why won't they say anything-?

"Yes,"

"Huh?" I looked at Dad.

"...Yes, I did have a brother named Lartan," he said.

"Really?! Wow, talk about coincidence-"

"And a sister named Mae..." he muttered, "...and Noishe was a bird...and Nyure did try to kill us..."

...Uh-oh.

"Lloyd," he locked eyes with me, "...do you remember when Mithos tried to possess you? How did you feel, aside from the

obvious fear and shock, I mean?"

Feel?

"I...felt like...there was something in my head, and then I got really mad all of a sudden-"

Wait...come to think of it, there were a lot of things going through my head that I don't remember doing OR seeing. It was

all really fast and I was kinda busy trying to keep in control, and right after that with the whole 'save Colette and then the

world' thing... Wait. Didn't Colette say when Martel possessed her she got her memories? ...Does that mean...?

"...Did...did I-?"

"You've gotten Mithos' memories," Dad whispered, frowning.

**Oh. Oh yes, I just pulled a TWIST on your hides! :D Sorry, kinda proud of myself...and no, I'm not done with the story. **

**I was going to have this twist at the very end but decided it wouldn't have quite the same effect. So yes, Lloyd's seeing **

**all these memories. This is still going to be Mithos-centric, though next chapter will be Lloyd-centered for a while. Most **

**chapters will still be Mithos-ish with brief interludes of Lloyd being able to comment/inquire/insult/yell-at-his-dad-**

**for-not-telling-him type things. Oh, and Lloyd's got to have an identity crisis. At least one. X3 Lol. I is happy.**

**Review? n.n'**


	12. Chapter 12

**They seriously need a TOS prequel, man...they just do.**

**NOTE: According to TOS2, Yuan grew up in Asgard. Since it's too late to change now, please just make due... It is fanfiction, right? n.n'**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

"Really, I'm fine-!"

The Professor grabbed me by the shoulders and pushed me back down onto the hospital table-thing and began to poke me and take my pulse

and do all that other type of stuff she did. I tried to tell them that I was okay, but they were all freaking out! It wasn't my fault Mithos'

memories were- ...okay, I can see how they'd be worried. But the same thing happened with Colette and she's fine now-

The same thing happened with Colette.

...I feel bad now...I didn't even notice that she was...

"Lloyd!"

"H-huh?" I looked up.

"You weren't answering me, are you okay?" Raine asked.

"Professor, please," Dad stated, "he should be fine, once the memories stop..."

"Stop? You mean they're not done yet?!" I blurted.

Dad kinda glanced aside.

"If they appeared while you slept, I assume that will continue until everything Mithos remembers has played out in your dreams," he stated,

"...so aside from some...nightmares, he should be fine."

"...Colette?" I looked at her. "When you...when Martel took over you, didn't you-?"

"I got her memories," she kinda nodded a bit, "but they kinda...came all at once. It was a little confusing. It was like I had known it and then I

just remembered it all of a sudden..."

"Really? You didn't tell us that, Colette!" Genis said.

"I'm sorry!"

Mithos' memories...this could....could be a bit of a good thing though, couldn't it? I did want to know what happened during the Kharlan

War...and it kinda was nice to see what Dad was like back then. Dad and his family...

"Wait, if you remember that too..." I looked at Colette, "...do you know why Mae- Aunt Mae, was a mana iso-whatever?"

"Isotope?" Genis said.

"Yeah, that," I nodded.

"O-oh...well...um..." Colette kinda fidgeted, looking at Dad.

"You'll find out on eventually on your own," Dad stated, "...it's...best you learn of it rather than one of us telling you."

"A mana isotope?" Raine raised an eyebrow. "Really? ...Interesting...now what exactly is that?"

"Lartan- that's Dad's brother- said that Aunt Mae's mana signature was almost exactly like pure mana's..." I said.

I stopped when I noticed the look Dad was giving me.

"...What? I shouldn't have said that?"

"Really!?" the Professor went wide eyed. "Fascinating! For such a being to exist-"

She rounded on Dad.

"Kratos! You simply must tell me all about it! This instant!"

"That is technically family information," he turned his head away, "I have no obligation to tell you."

We all kind of watched for a minute as the Professor tried to get Dad to tell her about it. I kind of wasn't paying attention because I was

thinking about what was happening again. ...Mithos' memories were so strange. It was like I was him...like I was him then, and like I was him

now, kinda. I mean...'I' was commenting on myself comparing myself to my Dad, how much more messed up can that get? ...Though I guess it is

kind of messed up that he's my Dad to begin with...

"Lloyd?"

I looked up and Colette frowned.

"...Lloyd, are you okay?"

I nodded.

"I'm fine, but why didn't...you say anything?" I asked. "They're making a fuss over this, but you already..."

She shook her head.

"No, no, don't worry about it," she smiled, "I'm fine now, so..."

She got quiet, which bothered me...that and something else was bothering me too...

"...Hey," I whispered, "...do you know why Uncle Lartan was an angel?"

"Wh-what? Um-" she stammered.

"Colette," Dad spoke up loudly, "...please, don't tell him anything."

"What? Why not?" I asked.

"..."

"Okay, fine, ignore me," I muttered, "but really...why can't I-?"

Then suddenly my head throbbed.

"Lloyd-?"

The next thing I knew my head hit the floor.

* * *

"Mithos, are you paying attention?"

Mithos? What? No, I'm not Mithos, I'm Lloyd-

"Mithos!"

I looked up and my eyes widened, Dad was standing in front of me with his sword out and I was holding a small training one...and he was a lot

taller all of a sudden, too.

"Why are you daydreaming?" he asked. "I thought you said you wanted to learn the sword?"

What? But I- Oh, right! These are Mithos' memories! So- I-...wait...huh? What was I just doing?

"MITHOS!"

I jumped.

"S-sorry, Kratos! My head felt funny all of a sudden," I smiled weakly.

Kratos seemed a little annoyed, but he's relaxed now I guess. ...Wait. What WAS I just thinking? Something about...my dad? Why was I

thinking about that jerk-? Wait no...or was it something about Lloyd? What? Wait a minute, what's going on-?

"MITHOS!"

"S-sorry, Master!" I blurted, taking position.

"All right, space out again and I'll make you eat Mae's cooking,"

I shuddered. That stuff was almost as bad as Raine's...maybe that's how Kratos managed not to die when he was traveling with the rest of

them. Anyway, training with Kratos was some of the most fun I had ever had. It was hard, yeah, my hands were raw and my arms throbbed

like heck afterward...but I would get better. I would get better and then I wouldn't need anyone's help to protect myself ever again.

"Are you two done? We need to get moving," Lartan said, glaring at us.

I glared at him and Kratos sighed, sheathing his blade.

"He is right, we should get moving..." he nodded, "it'll be about a long time before we get to the capital."

"There's a small town a couple of days from here," Mae said, "maybe we could get some transportation-"

"Out of the question," Lartan snapped, "if we go anywhere near a town, and Nyure's men are there..."

"Lartan! If we don't get a ride we'll be traveling for a month!" Mae scoffed. "We need to get there as soon as possible!"

"Yes, I agree..." Martel nodded, "that and we can't travel for a month without stopping at a town for supplies..."

I looked around.

"Hey, where'd Yuan go? Not that I care or anything, but..."

"Mithos! That's mean!" Martel said.

"S-sorry, sis," I said.

"Yuan's over there," Mae said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder.

We all looked and saw Yuan on the ground, panting heavily.

"...What the hell happened to him?" Kratos asked.

Mae grinned.

"He picked a fight with Lartan because they were ticking each other off."

"What?! How come we didn't notice-!?" I cried.

"Lartan kind of...well, it was a quick thing," Martel blushed.

Lartan smirked a bit as Yuan jolted his head up.

"Sh-Shut up you-!" Yuan stammered.

"Aw, did yuie wuie get hurt?" Kratos said, smirking.

"GO TO HELL! YOU AND YOUR BROTHER!"

Kratos and Lartan both face-palmed with a smirk.

"Yuan, do you need me to heal you more?" Martel asked. "We need to get going."

I glared when Martel went over and knelt down next to him. Damn Yuan, always getting my sister to fret over him like that...

"If he can speak he can walk," Lartan said coldly, "now let's get going."

Yuan flipped him off when his back was turned.

Nothing really eventful happened in the next two days as we headed for the town, other than my training and Yuan bickering with Kratos or

Lartan every five seconds or so... Though Martel did pick up a squirrel during camp one night. She wanted to keep it but obviously we couldn't...

She wanted to name it 'Emil', I think. I have no idea why, but she said that he was a squirrel so it suited him. To this day I have no idea what it

is she meant...

"Are we there yet?" Yuan sighed, his arms behind his head.

"You really should learn to have more patience," Lartan stated.

"And you really should learn to have emotions," Kratos muttered.

"What was that, my dear little brother-?"

"Hey! I see the town!" Mae said, pointing.

Off in the distance we saw the outline. There weren't big towers like in the last place, but it still looked decent sized. Great! There was bound

to be a way to get to the capital faster, we just had to make sure we avoided any of the soldiers that might be there... Which of course, could

be more easily said than done.

"Let's g-...g..." I frowned, rubbing my forehead.

"Mithos? Are you okay?" Martel asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, I-"

AGH! MY HEAD-!

* * *

"AGH!" I jumped upright.

"Lloyd! Are you all right?!"

"What happened?!"

"Are you okay!?"

"SHUT UP!" I shouted.

I held my head in my hands and shook around, trying to get my thoughts straight. What just happened? Who-?! Where-?! DAMN IT! What's

going on?!

"Lloyd!"

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see brown eyes-

Dad.

"Lloyd, are you all right?" he asked, frowning.

I stared at him a minute with my mouth hanging open. Dad...yeah, he was Dad, so I was Lloyd. Right? Oh man...this is going to be confusing- it

already is confusing! Just a minute ago I was convinced I was Mithos! But...but I felt like... Like I still was, for some reason.

...I don't think I like where this is going anymore.

**I'm sorry it's short...n.n' It seemed like an appropriate place to end it. Next chapter should be long, since I already have an idea of what **

**I'm going to do..X3**

**Review if you wish. n.n **


	13. Chapter 13

**Well, back to the stuff you actually want to read about (er...some of you, I guess). The parts with Mithos. n.n I've been watching the old **

**Indiana Jones movies for the first time and now I'm revved up to write this for some reason...n.n' I guess because it's the only story I can **

**work the kind things I feel like writing into...n.n'**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

The place was big enough, sure, but compared to the city we had just left it was kind of...bland. The cool magitech devices were missing, there

were no rheairds flying above us and the entire place seemed a bit more...primitive. I mean, they had the technology, but the brown buildings

and the bustling of outdoor markets seemed more like Karfist than the city we left.

"What is this place called again?" Kratos asked.

"Zeroya," Lartan said, looking around, "we won't be here long. Until we get transport keep an eye out for any of Nyure's men....or any kind of

soldiers, for that matter."

Though now that I thought about it, the entire place seemed kind of...dead. I mean, people were walking around and stuff, but they all seemed

like something was bothering them.

"Is...did something happen here?" Martel frowned. "All of the people seem...scared."

"Now that you mention it, yeah," Yuan whispered, "it is kind of quiet..."

"Then why are you whispering?" I asked. "That's not helping."

"Keep quiet, you'll draw attention," Lartan snapped.

Though I wanted to be loud just to annoy him, I kept my mouth shut and kept walking. He was right, I knew that, but... My thoughts were

interrupted when I ran into someone, I hadn't been paying attention after all. I jumped backwards and tried to apologize to the guy I had ran

into.

"S-Sorry, about that!" I said.

The man I ran into didn't say anything, he drooping his head so I couldn't see his face..

"...Sir?" I asked again. "I'm sorry, are you okay?"

By then, everyone stopped since they were getting a bit ahead of me and looked at the man.

"...Wait..." I said slowly, backing up a bit.

This man...his mana was wrong. I mean, it was just- warped, like there was something wrong with it. Was he sick? But if he was sick enough

for his mana to feel so...twisted, than there was no way he could be out of bed and walking around.

"...rt..." he mumbled.

"Huh?" I blinked.

He jerked his head up and his eyes were wide, red where the white part of his eye should be.

"YOU LITTLE BRAT!!!" he roared.

"W-What-?! AGH!"

The guy wrapped both of his hands around my neck and he was squeezing, hard.

"Mithos-!" Martel cried.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Kratos shouted.

"DIE YOU LITTLE BRAT!!" the man shouted in my face, saliva foaming out his mouth. "DIE! DIE DIE DIE-!"

Before I knew I could breathe again, Kratos had knocked the guy flat on his ass. Speaking of asses, Lartan was holding Mae back when she

tried to get near, and I remember him saying something about her 'not drawing attention'. Martel was fretting over me again while Yuan was

trying to pull the crazy guy back when he started hammering his bare fists at Kratos. Why Kratos didn't cut him down right now was over my

head at the time, but I guess he had already figured out that something was wrong.

"We got another one!!" a voice I didn't recognize shouted.

"Damn it! Secure him!!"

Suddenly the quiet place went into an uproar, Martel held me close to her while the people swarmed around like ants trying to get out of the

rain. I heard people shouting and then realized something that scared me. I wasn't that scared anymore. I had heard so many people scream

just over the past few months, I had seen so many people die right in front of me...that it was beginning to not be scary. I was scared that that

chaos didn't scare me.

...I guess I should've seen it coming, then...

"ALL RIGHT! THAT'S ENOUGH!"

I heard a whip crack- quite literally- and then suddenly everything got quiet except for the raving of the guy Yuan and Kratos were both trying

to hold down with a couple of the townsmen. Lartan and Mae had disappeared somewhere..the bastard probably took her with him.

"Hold him still!" the voice from before shouted.

I turned just in time to see and sense a small bit of mana go zooming through the air and hit the foaming man right in the middle of the

forehead. He slumped over without another sound.

"What the-?" Yuan panted, frustrated.

"Dispose of him," the voice said.

"MA'AM!"

The men who had been helping Kratos and Yuan took the- the dead man, and began to drag him off. Yuan and Kratos just stood there like

Martel and I did to stare at the person who had killed the man.

And I honestly think Kratos turned red.

She strutted forward with a whip at her side, dressed in dark leather from head to toe with a bandanna, gloves, shorts and a long

shirt...though it was kinda low cut. ...I mean a LOT low cut, actually. She had long purple hair and bright red lips, and really, really cold eyes...

"Well," she said, putting away the mana-weapon she had used, "travelers? Sorry you had to see that."

"N- Not at all, ma'am, we always- I, that is, you- well, he, uh..." Kratos stammered.

Yuan whistled.

"O- Oh..." Martel said with a frowned.

"W-What-? No, wait! Martel, you're much hotter than she is-!"

"STOP HITTING ON MY SISTER!" I shouted.

The woman ignored us and went right up to Kratos, smirking.

"Why aren't you the cute one, what's your name, swordsman?" she said.

Kratos barely managed to say his name.

"Kratos? Nice name, it means 'power' doesn't it?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

Kratos nodded, still trying to form a complete sentence.

"I like it, it makes me...excited," she purred.

Yuan made sure Martel wasn't looking when he quietly began thanking the gods.

"I- you-? Well- that-" Kratos coughed loudly, "...I see."

She threw her head back and laughed.

"You're cute, I think I like you," she smiled, "my name is Soellielle."

"Soellielle?" Kratos blinked. "Doesn't that-?"

"Mean 'mystery'? I assure you, I'm not that hard to unwrap..." she smirked.

"D- Don't you mean, 'unravel'...ma'am?" he asked.

"...No," she chuckled.

"Ooh baby..." Yuan muttered under his breath, red in the face just like Kratos.

I never got it. This Soellielle was a lot like Pronyma, but they always called Pronyma a 'slutty std-ridden bitch'....well Yuan did, Kratos didn't say

many things like that anymore once Pronyma came around.

"As much as I'd love to get to know you better," Soellielle smiled, "I have business to take care of. Really, the lot of you should just leave this

town, I wouldn't want you to get hurt..."

"Hurt?" Kratos said.

"Y- Yeah, what just happened with that guy anyway?" I asked. "He just went crazy for some reason."

She sighed loudly, running her fingers through her hair.

"I thought you'd ask about that..." she frowned, "to be honest, I'm not quite sure. Some epidemic is going around, people are fine one minute

and the next they're crazier than a friendly elf."

Yuan and I both snickered.

"An epidemic? You mean, like a sickness?" Martel asked, frowning.

"The townspeople are saying its a 'curse' of some kind," Soellielle said, her eyes narrowed, "I think they're just being a bunch of superstitious

needleheads, but...hey, each to their own I guess."

"Who are you, anyway?" I asked. "I mean, you told us your name, but you seemed to be in charge of those guys from earlier..."

"Hm?" she tilted her head to the side, looking at me. "Oh, yes...I'm the leader of this town, sorry, should have mentioned it."

"What?!" we all gaped.

"Y- You are? But-" I stammered.

"The townspeople have good taste..." Yuan said, a dopey smirk on his face.

Martel sighed deeply and looked away.

"W- Wait! Martel! I didn't-!"

"Well, I have to go now, see you around, ta ta!"

With that she simply just walked off. Kratos and Yuan stared after her a minute before I spoke up.

"A curse? They think there's a curse making people go crazy?" I said. "What can that all be about? Do any of you guys have an idea?"

"The mana around here is pretty strange..." Martel bit her lip, "but..."

"Hey wait- where did Mae go?" Kratos jolted, looking around.

"I think your brother took her," I said.

Kratos swore loudly and looked around the area, clenching his fists.

"Damn it all! Why did he just leave like that?!"

"We're not supposed to be drawing attention to Mae, right?" I said. "He probably got her out of there when we got involved with that whole

thing with the psycho and that lady."

Kratos muttered some stuff about his brother being a- jerk, and then Yuan crossed his arms, glaring.

"Well, complaining isn't going to find them," he pointed out.

"I don't need you to tell me that, ponytail!" Kratos snapped.

"Spikey!"

"Shouldn't we be looking for them?" I said loudly. "I can still sense Mae's mana, you know..."

They instantly stopped and Kratos turned to me and nodded, still a bit flustered.

"Yes, please, lead us to her," he asked me.

"Are you bipolar...?" Yuan muttered.

"Didn't you ask that before?" Martel asked.

"Hold on a sec..."

I looked around and tried to pick up a trace of Mae's mana. It was harder to do outside a building because mana signatures from everywhere

come wafting about, but I'd been around Mae for a while, enough to memorize her mana. That and...it really was impossible to mistake for

someone else.

"She went this way," I said, pointing down one street.

"Good, let us find her before something happens," Kratos said.

"I'm sure Lartan can take care of her!" Martel chirped, trying to reassure him.

Kratos and Yuan both began to mutter darkly under their breath again.

"Did I say something wrong?" Martel blinked.

"Let's go, Martel," I said.

We started off down the street and I tried to find Mae again, but the trail was kind of faint...

"It amazes me how the little brat can do that," Yuan muttered.

"Huh?" I looked at him.

"Do what?" Martel tilted her head to the side.

"I assume he means the way Mithos can find my sister like this," Kratos said, tilting his head to the side.

"Yeah, he's like a damn dog," Yuan snorted with a smirk, "except you don't have to give him a scent!"

"H- Hey! Don't compare me to a dog!" I stammered.

"Dogs tend to be quieter," Kratos said to Yuan, ignoring me.

"Hey-!"

"And they don't smell as bad," Yuan smirked.

"Why you..." I glared at them, "stop picking on me!"

"Please, everyone calm down," Martel said, frowning, "I don't want anyone to fight..."

"But Sis!" I cried. "They're being mean to me!"

"Awwwww....poor widdle Mithos is getting pwicked on?" Yuan mocked.

I kicked him hard in the shins.

"Argh-! Why you little-!" he shouted, hopping on one foot.

I stuck my tounge out at him and looked around again.

"Damn it! I lost her trail..." I sighed.

"You did?" Kratos said, his face furrowed. "Tch..."

He began to look around while the rest of us tried to find any trace of Kratos' siblings. I couldn't sense her mana trail very well at all anymore,

but there had to be somewhere they could've gone... Did they go inside somewhere? There certainly were a number of pubs and

stores...though a lot of them appeared to be closed.

Was this because of the 'curse' or whatever that was going on? Windows were boarded up, doors were closed tightly, people all seemed to

walk very fast as if they didn't want to get caught anywhere... It was a very unsettling feeling. Suddenly we heard a loud crash come from one

of the buildings, causing me to jump and Martel to yelp a bit.

"W- What was that?" I asked.

"It came from over there," Yuan pointed.

One pub that appeared to still be open was emitting a lot of shouts and crashing sounds.

"GET OUTTA MY FACE YOU ASS!" a gruff voice shouted.

"Hm...that could be Lartan," Yuan said with a shrug.

"Possibly," Kratos sighed, "but just because they call someone an 'ass' doesn't necessarily mean it's-"

"I'LL GOUGE THAT GLARE RIGHT OUT OF YOUR SOCKETS! YOU WON'T BE HIGH AND MIGHTY THEN, WILL YA?!"

"...That's closer," I said as I blinked.

"True, but that could be anyone-"

"OOOOOO!" a female voice cried. "He's sooooo DREAMY!"

Kratos, Yuan and I said nothing and kind of just stared at the entrance while Martel giggled.

"I'LL BEAR YOUR CHILDREN, MISTER HOT SWORDSMAN!!!"

Kratos sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"...That's him, isn't it?" I asked.

"Most likely," he muttered and headed for the building.

"Geez, popular enough with the ladies?" Yuan scoffed as he followed.

"Come on, Martel," I said, grabbing her arm as we walked over to the place.

Inside we found a couple of big guys laying unconscious on the floor and a lot of women crowded around a tall man who looked as if he would

rather be dipped in acid than hang around in the mess of females a second longer. Yup, Lartan. Mae was giggling to the side before she caught

sight of us and ran over to Kratos, looking a bit sheepish.

"Kratos! H- Hi..." she smiled weakly, "I'm sorry, Lartan didn't want anyone to notice me and-"

Kratos walked past her and up to Lartan, glaring.

"You told us not to draw attention, and we find you with your own cult?" he snapped.

Lartan glared at him and began to say something-

"OOOOOOHHH! ANOTHER OOOOONNEEEEE!!!"

The girls all mauled Kratos and Lartan silently slipped away, walking over to the rest of us as Kratos tried to get away from the fangirls his

brother had so kindly transferred to him.

"I see you're still in one piece," he said simply.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THIS-!!" Kratos shouted from across the room.

"What happened?" I asked. "You got into a fight?"

"Some brute attempted to molest Mae," he stated simply, "it escalated from there."

"He pinched my butt," Mae shrugged, "I was about to deck him one, but Lartan took it from there..."

Yuan whistled and looked at one of the big guys unconscious on the floor, poking his head.

"Out like a light...crap, remind me not to tick you off anytime soon," he shook his head.

"I have attempted to," Lartan said simply, "so what happened back toward the entrance?"

"Oh, that..."

Martel began explaining what happened to Lartan and Mae while I looked around. The bar was dimly lit and smelled of beer and barf, it really

wasn't any place I would want to go of my own free will. It was damp and dark and-...wait a minute... I noticed something weird on the ground

and walked over and picked it up. A rock? No...not just a rock, there were weird patterns and a few runes on them that I wasn't quite sure

what they were. Weird....what was something like that doing in a place like this? I looked around to see if someone had maybe dropped it, but

no one was around. It didn't look very valuable, and it was pretty cool... I shrugged and pocketed it. Maybe I'd show it to Yuan later and he

could figure out what it was, he was a big nerd when it came to stuff like that anyway.

"BEWARE! BEWWAARE THE CUUUURSEEE!!!"

Hm...a random, seemingly crazy old man running and ranting about something supernatural. Somehow this seems entirely cliché to me now, yet

back then it was actually startling...geez, trends these days...

**Short again. n.n' However, I hope that decently kept your interest for the next chapter...X3**

**Review if you want....**


	14. Chapter 14

**Dood doo dot doo...doot doot doo...n.n **

**Doot doot doot doot doo! 8D**

**...I just realized this is the only story I have that doesn't have a muse...huh...O.o'**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

"Um...excuse me-?" I started.

"THEY'LL KILL US ALL!" the man shouted, running to me and shouting in my face.

"Ookaaayy..." I said, backing up a bit, "that's nice-"

"Oh great, not another one," Yuan groaned, walking over.

"You think I'm crazy! I'm not crazy!!" the man said, his eyes wide like a caged animal. "I'm not! You don't understand! The curse! They will kill

us! They'll kill us all as our brains rooooooooottttt!!!"

He placed his hands on Yuan's shoulders and began shaking him violently as I ever so bravely inched away toward Martel while Lartan and Mae

simply watched, though Lartan's hand went to his hilt again.

"Th- That's all well and stuff, but-" Yuan stammered.

"THE MACHIKI! THE MACHIKI!" he crowed, pushing Yuan back and shouting to the ceiling. "THE MACHIKI WILL SWEEP UPON US FROM THE

TEMPLE AND KILL US ALL! KIIILLLL USSSSSS!!"

"Machiki?" Mae blinked.

Lartan's eyes narrowed and he looked like he was about to ask something right before Kratos ran over.

"Whew...what did I miss-?"

"YOU!" the old man pointed in his face. "You think you're so tough?! The Machiki will corrupt even you! Even you!!!"

"..." Kratos blinked, looking as if maybe he'd prefer it back with the fangirls.

"What's a Machiki?" I asked.

Sure, he was a crazy old goat, but it still sounded somewhat interesting...

"The Machiki-?! They're beings not of this world!" he cried, his pupils rapidly contracting and dilating as he looked at me. "They dwell in the

mountain Temple, waiting- just WAITING to come down upon us! The village is like this because of them, you know! Because-!"

Then man dropped dead right in front of me. I yelped and two militia men dressed in leather like Soellielle was walked forward, taking the

corpse up as they apologized for us having to see it.

"Another one," the first man grunted, "what the hell is a 'Machiki'?"

"Did- did you have to do that?!" Martel gasped, horror in her eyes. "He- He could've been helped! He wasn't hurting anyone-!"

"Sorry, Ma'am," one said, "but this is how all of them had been going...they start ranting like that right before they start attacking people. We

can't just lock'em up and be done with it, you know..."

"But-! But-!" Martel stammered, her eyes filling with tears.

My sister cared for any and everyone, she wanted desperately that everyone would be able to live as they wished, without being taken down

because they were different. The man was insane, but she was mortified for him.

"It's- it's not fair!" she cried again. "He had a chance-! Why- why did you kill him when he had a chance?!"

"Look, Ma'am, we understand, but this is for the greater good of the people-"

"The greater good?!" she cried, snapping at them. "How is killing the people good for them?! I-!"

"Martel!" Yuan said, holding her back. "Please- please, calm down, it won't help..."

"But I-!" she stammered, tears in her eyes.

"Sis," I said sternly, "...it's okay...it'll be okay..."

She cried silently as she had her head bowed, nodding weakly as she closed her eyes. The men dragged her away as a long silence fell in on

us, and why didn't say or do much of anything for a while.

...How is killing the people good for them...

But- but what I was doing was different, right? I mean- I was just trying to- I didn't-

...How come I never remembered her saying that...?

"The Mountain Temple..." Mae trailed, the first to break the silence, "maybe...we..."

"Let's check it out," I said.

"What?" Yuan looked at me.

"That guy...he said that something in the Temple was causing everyone down here to go crazy," I said, biting my lip, "I know we need to get a

move on and stuff, but maybe we should check it out."

"I- I agree!" Martel nodded. "If there's any chance we can find out why this is happening-"

"What befalls this village is none of our concern-" Lartan started.

"What?!" Martel snapped. "You- aren't you a soldier?! Isn't it your duty to protect people?!"

"Martel-!" Yuan started, shocked.

"Shouldn't you be happy to help them, then!?" she said, getting a bit flushed.

"Martel's right," Kratos nodded, "we can't just do nothing."

"It's probably just a meaningless rumor," Lartan stated calmly, crossing his arms, "that and we are no longer soldiers, little brother, unless

you've forgotten what happened back with Nyure."

"I don't care," Kratos snarled, "Martel is right."

"Yeah, I can't just do nothing either," I nodded.

Mae was surprisingly quiet, which to tell the truth unnerved me, but she spoke softly after a second.

"Lartan...let's see it," she said.

And that was the end of that.

We managed to procure a map and that same day we found ourselves rooting around the mountain, looking for this 'Temple' of sorts that was

supposed to be out there. Really, it just turned out it was an old ruin of some kind, it used to be a tourist attraction before the village went

down hill. We wandered around the forested area for hours before I had just about had it.

"ARGH! Where is this damn thing?!" I shouted. "I haven't seen ONE thing that looks like a freakin-!"

Then I tripped on a root and crashed down a hill, miraculously not missing any trees. I swore as Martel and the others called down to me, and I

just tried to get on my feet to take the plants out of my hair.

"Great! Just great! I'm never gonna find- what the hell?"

I was looking up at an old, stone archway that lead into the inside of the mountain.

"Oh..." I said softly, staring.

The others came down after me and we gaped up at the entrance. It seemed to be made entirely from some type of limestone, an intricate

design that was decked with archaic murals of protozoans, people, and many many wings. I heard a screech as Noishe flew down from the sky,

landing on top of the archway and pacing side to side, looking at us and then at it by craning his neck upside down.

"I think we found it," Kratos said simply.

The inside was dark, yet torches were lit down the hallway.

"These torches must have been going a long time," Martel smiled.

"Martel, someone's probably been here earlier," Yuan said, "torches can't burn for ever, you know."

"Oh, that's right!" she giggled. "I forgive you!"

"...Eh?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I mean, please forgive _me _!" she laughed.

We 'dot dot dot'ed.

"I'm kind of upset we couldn't bring Noishe," Kratos stated, "but he wouldn't fit in here."

"We shouldn't be here," Lartan muttered darkly.

"Why not?" Yuan asked. "I haven't seen anything dangerous-"

The two large pillars we had just passed collapsed behind us, closing us in.

"...That's just not right," he hissed, his eye twitching.

"Ah!!" Mae cried.

"Oh crap-! How are we gonna get out of here?!" I said, looking at the rubble.

"Calm down, there must be another entrance," Lartan stated.

"But what if there's not?!"

"Then we all die of dehydration," he said with a straight face.

I forget how much I hated that guy...

"We don't have any other choice but to go on ahead," Kratos sighed, "though..."

"Though?" I said, looking up at him.

"..." he looked at me and then looked around, hesitant, "does this place...feel strange, to you?"

"Feel strange? The mana doesn't seem that out of place...why?" I asked, frowning.

"I can't sense mana anyway," he said, "but something feels..."

"Alluring," Lartan stated stiffly.

"I guess you could use that word," Mae said, glancing to the side as she bit her lip.

"What are you three talking about?" Yuan scoffed, crossing his arms. "Besides the fact we're locked in an ancient ruin, I don't see anything

wrong with this place...y'know, aside from the fact we might die."

"Alluring?" I blinked, staring at Lartan. "What's 'alluring' about it?"

Lartan said nothing as Kratos bit his lip, looking around. We continued down the passage before we came to a fork, then we heard something

that almost made me wet myself.

"ABSOLUTELY INTRIGUING!"

And thus I become aquianted with Raine and Genis' ancestor. Sure, I could be wrong, but...

"What the hell?" Yuan said.

We raced off toward the source, down the left passage, and found a large chamber that's entire surface- walls, ceiling, floor- were decorated

with a large intricate mural. Off against one wall was an elf man with silver hair and a half-elf with dark red hair. The half-elf was about Martel's

age and sighed as he held up a torch to light the wall, watching the elf coo and rub his face against it.

"This mural is priceless! PRICELESS! Oh, Princeton! Feel the wondrous surface!!"

"I'll pass, Uncle Vernon," 'Princeton' sighed, rubbing his forehead with his free hand.

"But you simply must try this! Oh! I wish your Aunt was here to see the beauty of this OUTSTANDING discovery!"

"Aunt's back home, in the village, where we SHOULD be," Princeton spat at his uncle.

"No sense of adventure, that woman," Vernon sighed, pulling back and adjusting his glasses, "she always wants me to bring her samples, but

she can't come excavate them herself..."

Princeton sighed again and then flinched. He turned to face us as we stared at then sighed in relief.

"Oh thank the gods," he sighed, "you don't know how happy I am to see other people..."

"Oh?" Vernon turned to look at us. "More explorers? Did you come to bask in the glory of the ancients' knowledge?"

I barely managed just to blink.

"Uh...no," Martel said, shaking her head as she stared, "we were just looking around."

"Save me," Princeton mouthed, looking at us helpless as his Uncle grinned.

"Well! It's always a good thing for one to bask in the curiosity of youth! I say, I don't seem to recognize you three...are you from Heimdal, by

any chance?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Uh...yes," Martel nodded, "you must be from Myrtal, then, right?"

"Why yes!" he grinned, pushing his glasses up on his face. "Jolly good to see some kids like you getting out of the villages! I swear, too long

with my species can drive any man insane..."

Princeton looked like he wanted to kill himself.

"Eh?" Yuan raised an eyebrow.

"You know, elves," he shrugged, sighing as he took off his glasses and began to wipe them, "though I and my wife are elves, I do so detest

hanging around them long. They think they know everything and it is SO obvious there are many things to learn from this planet...oh well! Their

loss is my gain, nay?"

...Yeah, I'm pretty sure Raine had a relation.

"So you just came in here to research?" Mae asked.

"My dear young human lady! Why else would one come to such a place?!" he cried. "Come, look upon the mural of the ancients!!"

"Uh, I think I'll p-"

She looked at the mural and her eyes widened, glazing over as if she had seen something that was enough to send her into a catatonic state.

Lartan noted this and got in front of her, lightly grabbing her shoulders and trying to shake her out of it.

"Huh? Kratos, what's wrong with-? Kratos?"

Kratos had walked passed us up to the mural, passing us as if we weren't even there. Vernon and Princeton eyed him and moved aside as

Kratos approached the mural. It was depicting many things: monsters, humans, elves, lakes, mountains, rivers, animals, pretty much anything

you could think of. The part Kratos had walked up to, however, looked like...a big pair of wings, a big pair of wings attached to some kinda orb

that had all these runes around it.

"Kratos, get back here," Lartan snapped.

"Kratos?" I asked, running up to it. "What's the matter?"

"This..." he muttered under his breath, "I've...seen this before..."

He slowly put his hand in the center, stretching his fingers out over the flat surface.

"You've seen it before?" I asked, looking at it.

I didn't recognize any of the runes, and judging by the expression on Vernon's face this seemed unlikely.

"Seen it before?" he scoffed, fiddling with his glasses again. "I'll have you know that these runes are the only ones of its kind! This ruin

predates to the beginning of life on this world! Even we elves, who came with Derris-Kharlan to this planet, are not aware of who built this! For

you to have seen this is illogical! Unless sketches have been made- which I DOUBT, seeing as I just discovered this chamber- then I do not

think you have seen-"

"In the winds gale the wings shalt carry you," Kratos said numbly.

Vernon's jaw dropped to the point I was almost convinced it had disconnected.

"W- What did you just-? Did you-?"

"Kratos?! You can read it?!" I blurted, staring up at him.

He ignored me and frowned deeply, his eyes locked on the writing.

"Through the...through..._ano te kesun ah ba, teru..." _

I stared at him and backed up at bit. What? What was he saying? The way he was talking didn't sound like him- well, it was his voice and all,

but he sounded kinda...dazed, like he wasn't the one reading it. The words he spoke didn't sound like anything I'd ever heard, and it was safe

to say I was getting a little freaked out.

"Kratos? Hey, Kratos! Are you okay?!" I said.

"You're starting to freak me out, here," Yuan glared, walking up and trying to grab Kratos' shoulder to turn him around, "come on, you crazy

human, you're going to give me the cr-"

"_Afa toana," _Kratos chanted.

Yuan went flying.

"W- What the hell?!" Princeton shouted, reminding me he was there.

"Kratos?! Yuan?!" I cried. "What's going on-?!"

"Yuan!" Martel cried, running over to check on him.

"Kratos," Lartan growled, "get away from there! Now!"

Mae was sitting on the floor staring blankly ahead, her pupils dilating and contracting rapidly.

"Kratos! Stop it!" I shouted. "What are you doing?!"

I went to grab his arm and then remembered what happened to Yuan. Instead I huffed and chanted aqua-edge, hitting him in the face. Maybe

the cold water would wake him up a bit.

Luckily for me, it did, with a little help.

"You idiot!" Lartan snarled, pulling Kratos back right after he was hit by my spell.

Kratos' eyes instantly came back into focus when his brother pulled him back and he shook his head violently, partly to clear his head and partly

to get the water out of his hair.

"W- What just happened?" he asked.

"You tell me!" I scoffed. "Kratos, what the hell where you doing?!"

"Doing?" he frowned, biting his lip.

Needless to say, I was more than a little miffed at this.

"You- You were just-!"

"Absolutely INTRIGUING!!!"

We directed our attention back to Vernon, who had been watching the whole time in awe.

"Young man, did you just become entranced by this mural?"

"Huh?" Kratos asked.

"No, he was just having an episode," Lartan said coldly, "nothing strange about it."

I still can't tell if he was being sarcastic or if he really was trying to pass that off as an excuse...

Vernon opened his mouth to say something when we heard something. I slammed my hands over my ears and Mae snapped out of her trance

to yelp, clutching her head as Martel and Yuan shouted out. Kratos and Lartan instinctively drew their swords while the rest of us tried to look

around and see where it had come from. I can't explain what the sound was, it was like a screech mixed with a whalesong; deep, haunting,

smooth and yet wavering a random points to a high-pitched, screaming type pitch.

"Wh- What was that?!" I asked.

"Oh dear," Vernon paled, coughing lightly into his hand, "ah...let's move on, shall we? I daresay we might not be wise if we stay in this ruin any

longer- for today, of course, shall we head to the exit?"

"The exit's blocked off!" I said. "That's why we were wandering around in here!"

Vernon and Princeton both gasped, their eyes going wide. Princeton began to shake and Vernon coughed even more harshly, taking off his

glasses and fidgeting with them again, maybe it was a habit.

"I- I- Blocked off, you say? Meaning, we are...trapped, in here?" he stammered, paler even than a normal elf.

"Yeeeeessss...." Yuan started, not liking where this was going.

"O- Oh, well then-" he coughed, "I- well-"

"We're gonna die!" Princeton shouted, grabbing his uncle by the collar. "You old coot! We're going to fucking die because you HAD to come in

here and look at this thing! You HAD to come in here and let all those things ou-!"

"What things?" Lartan demanded, his eyes narrowed on them.

It got eerily quiet as Princeton froze with his hands still around his uncle's neck, Vernon shaking as he looked at us through wide, shimmering

green eyes. He stammered a bit more before clearing his throat.

"There...there are- Princeton, let me go if you will-"

Princeton dropped him.

"Y- Yes, quite, you see..." he coughed, "at night these rather...large, creatures begin roaming around the ruin. I can't quite say what their

species is called, but we have had run ins with them previously and...uhm..."

"We used to have five people in our group," Princeton said darkly, his eyes narrowed.

"W- What-?"

"PROFESSOR! PRINCETON!"

Another young human man ran in, his dark hair partially in his face as he panted to catch his breath.

"Geom!" Princeton exclaimed.

"Pr- Professor," he panted, "the- those things are co-"

"Yes, about that, apparently we are...er, stuck, in this establishment," Vernon managed to say.

The look on the human's face was one of pure terror.

"What do you mean?!"

"According to these youngsters, the exit is blocked off-"

"Wait a minute!" I shouted. "What's going on?! What's in here?! What's happening?!"

"We should run," Vernon stated, "this is a dead end, after all, it wouldn't be good to get caught in here-"

"Caught by what?!" Yuan demanded, almost as freaked out as I was.

"It doesn't matter," Lartan snapped, "he can explain the details on the way, let's go."

"But-"

Martel grabbed my wrist and we ran off, following the elf and his associates as he puffed and attempted to talk at the same time.

"You see, there are..." he panted, "these rather large, formless creatures that have been crawling about at night recently. We've been good

about being in here only in daytime, but it seems they've been getting more active-"

"They killed two of our friends!" Princeton snapped, glaring at his uncle.

"Well, yes, well," he panted, "and they are rather _unpleasant _to run into and thus we should locate another exit as soon as possible-"

"They're not easily killed?" Lartan asked as we ran.

Vernon laughed.

"Killed? I doubt it, you see, they're not quite made out of anything that can be har-"

We turned to corner to find ourselves staring straight at what I thought was a big wall of blue jello. The researchers froze in their tracks and

the rest of us slowly backed up a step.

"Uh...what is th-?" I started.

The ground beneath us shook as the sound from before blew past us, making our hair fly back and some old tiles off the ceiling come crashing

down around us. Martel held me close and Lartan held Mae's arm, Yuan attempting to hold his ground like everyone else. When it died down

we found ourselves gaping like idiots at the 'jello'.

"...Jolly good meeting you, tootaloo!" Vernon said, racing off.

It rushed at us.

**Yes, my dear blobbies don't sound too intimidating, but I assure you next chapter we'll see just what it is that makes Vernon so...'jolly **

**well startled' by it. n.n Hee.**

**Review? O.O**


	15. Chapter 15

**Yes yes, almost a year later when I actually update this. I understand the desires to maim me, as I am maiming myself T.T I FAIL.**

**That aside, I hope this is to your liking at least n.n'**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

"MOVE IT!"

I don't know who shouted that, but I sure as hell didn't have a problem listening to them. I bolted back down the corridor, grasping Martel's wrist tightly as bits of the ceiling tile continued to fall around us, crashing into bit of rubble and dust. I didn't look back, I didn't even try to feel its mana, to sense how far it was. All I knew what was what my instinct told me and that was to run. To run like hell. Of course, I didn't have to be told twice. Yuan was running beside us and the rest of our group was in much the same boat, Princeton shout ahead at his uncle with a very pissed off look on his face. I think it was only a few seconds when we heard a thud that somehow let us know something wasn't right. I jerked my head over my should to find out what happened...and what happened was that their friend, Geom, had tripped and was only a few feet away from the evil jelly from hell.

"Oh shit-!" I gasped, skidding a bit.

"What are you doing you idiot?!" Yuan snapped at me, slowly just a bit. "Run you- Ah hell..."

The jelly made contact with the guy's foot.

Then we got to see what scared the others so much.

His eyes bulged out, little red lines- little capprillaries- crawling into the whites. His body tensed up and his mouth began to foam and he began to...laugh. He began to laugh as his eyes started to jerk in different directions, his entire body going into spasms. I swear his body began to steam before the goo swept him into it and...he dissolved. Just like putting sugar in water, he just...dissolved.

"Oh dear gods..." Martel gaped in horror.

It started after us again. This time we didn't look back until we rouded a corner and found that the floor wasn't quite...well, there. There was a big hole in the floor (there were more floors below us?) and we just barely noticed it right before we fell in and landed on our asses. I...kinda passed out after that, to be honest. I guess whatever happened, we all ended up alive- except for Geom- and we had found some dim light room in the ruins. When I came to, Martel was hovering over me, smiling a bit when she saw I was awake.

"Oh thank goodness!" she sighed in relief. "Are you okay now, Mithos?"

"Uh...yeah...?" I mumbled, sitting up. "Where...what happened?"

"Well, we managed to get somewhere safe," I heard Kratos sigh.

"Ah yes, safe, I feel so cozy," Yuan snapped at him.

"Your complaining isn't going to help," said Lartan.

The room was small, I could see everyone in it, huddling around a fire they must have made out of some broken old timbers or torch-sticks they had found. That was our only real source of light, really, but it still let us see each other well enough. For instance, I could see Vernon, and he looked very, veeeeeeerrry nervous. Served him right for not telling us about this! Not to mention he ditched us! Stupid elf!

"So yes, Mithos," Martel frowned, "Um....we found out what's going on with the town."

"Huh? You did?" I blinked, staring at her.

"Yeah, it wasn't hard to figure out once Vernon told us about those things," Mae said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder at said elf, "I guess they're the 'Machiki' things that crazy guy was talking about earlier on."

"That's what we think, anyway," Kratos finished.

"Yes, yes, indeed they can be called 'Machiki' in some translations," Vernon sighed, nervously fidgeting with his glasses again, "It means- quite loosely translated- 'mana blob'....a rather silly- redundant- name, I suppose, but the ancients didn't seem to care very-"

"Hold on, what?" I shook my head. "Back up a bit, HOW are these things messing with the town?"

"As you saw with...with well..." he frowned, glancing at Princeton, who was glaring at him.

"With Geom?" Princeton spat.

Got the feeling he wasn't in such a good mood.

"Well-"

"They're toxic," Princeton spat, directing his eyes on me, "Their entire body is poision. If you just touch one you'll go completely insane and your body will evaporate- oh, but you saw that, didn't you? Of course you did, 'cause you saw my friend get EATEN! Fucking- eaten-!"

"Princeton, calm down-" Vernon stammered a bit, glancing at his nephew.

"Calm down?!" he roared, rounding on him. "I'll show you 'calm' you-"

"This mountain range is the source for the river by the town," Lartan cut him off, "We're assuming that there is a water source in this complex- near it, at least- and the 'Machiki' are polluting it. That would explain the 'illness' in the town down below, traces of the toxin are being carried into the drinking water."

"R- Really?" I blinked, I guess I was still a bit put off. "So....okay then, so how do we stop it?"

"That's the problem," Mae sighed, rubbing the back of her neck, "We can't hurt them with swords or any other weapon, and apparently magic just ticks them off, right?"

When she asked that she looked at Princeton, who just nodded and turned away from her, his arms crossed over his chest. He wasn't in a good mood, but that was completely understandable...the guy did just see his last friend go nuts before getting eaten and all, I'd be mad too- Aw crap, so that was really it? We couldn't fight them? At all?

"T- There's gotta be something we can do, right?" I asked, looking around at them. "We can't just leave it like this-"

"We can't 'leave' to begin with!" Princeton snapped at me, growling a bit. "We're trapped in here, did you forget? We should be worry about getting our own skins out of this rather than about some town we don't even live in-"

Heh heh, I heard enough from Lloyd to know what he was like. It's funny....I knew we had a lot in common, but I didn't seem to hink back to this. It was one of the first times I...one of the first times I really said what was needed to be said. I think it was the first time, actually, where I had that feeling in me, the feeling that.... Not quite sure what it was, really. Maybe rebellious, but it was that and...well, he made me mad, he made me mad because of what he said...

"What, and just leave them all to go nuts?!" I shouted at him, feeling my fists clench. "That's not right! You can't just abandon people that needs help-"

"Oh please, kid," he spat, shaking his head, "Don't get all dramatic on me. The real world isn't that nice."

"But isn't that only because people never do the things they wish people would do?" I asked, glaring a bit. "You- adults always go on with stuff like you should 'do the right thing' but you never do! So of course the world isn't going to be that 'nice' because you guys never do what you know you need to do!"

He raised an eyebrow at me but he didn't say anything else, just rolled his eyes and looked away, sulking.

"As long as we've got even a little chance to help someone, we should do it!" I said, looking at everyone else. "I- I mean, yeah, I don't know how...but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try, right?"

I looked up at all of them, and I saw Martel smile, Kratos did a little too after her and Yuan gave one of his crafty little smirks and then nodded.

"Kid's right, we're here anyway, might as well see if we can do anything," Yuan said.

"I concur," Kratos nodded.

"It'd be bad to not try!" Martel nodded.

"Totally," Mae laughed, "Okay then, we're going to have to come up with some kind of idea what to do at least..."

"I still wish something cleared up," Lartan said curtly, eying Vernon, "Earlier your nephew said something about you 'letting those things' out..."

The elf went even more pale than he already was, pulling on his collar and coughing into his hand a bit.

"Oh yes, that, well..." he stammered, wiping his forehead.

"Mister- er, Professor Vernon," Martel said, frowning a bit, "We...we need to know everything you know about the Machiki. Not only so we can help the town, but if we run into another one it might be able to help us fight it off somehow."

"Well...." he sighed, pushing his glasses up on his nose again, "You see then, what happened was...well, when we first came across these ruins I found another large mural like the one you saw when we met earlier. It was smaller, of course, but the runes on it were quite fascinating-"

"Just hurry up and get to the point," Princeton sighed.

"Wha-? Oh yes, well, you see, there was an indenture on the mural that appeared to be some sort of locking mechanism and I couldn't help but...tamper with it, you see, and...well, the mural happened to be painted over a door of sorts and it opened...and...the creatures swarmed out, effectively," he finished lamely, sighing.

Silence.

"So...you're the one that let them out...?" I said slowly, my eyes widening.

"Well...yes," he said.

"You're the reason the townspeople are going nuts?!" I gasped, backing up a step. "You...you-!"

"The town? He's the reason we're all gonna die," Princeton snorted, glaring at me again, "So yes, yes it is effectively all his fault."

Heh, Lloyd said that mistakes could be corrected once, it's funny how situations always pop up no matter what the era where the things people say can apply. Some things are true no matter what time period you currently live in, I guess. Still, at this current moment, I wasn't really sure how to treat him. I was mad, partly, at him for causing all this trouble in the first place, but it was an accident, so...

"You mean we're all stuck in here with a bunch of murderous blobs because he couldn't keep his nose out of something that was obviously dangerous?" Yuan said flatly.

"Yup," Princeton said.

There was more silence.

"You stupid son of a-!" Yuan started.

"Yuan, stop! It was an accident!" Martel frowned, shaking her head. "We can't get mad at him!"

"Why not? It is his fault, whether it is his intention or not, it is still his responsibility," Lartan pointed out in his usual cold fashion, "If we wish to speak 'morally' it is only right that he assists us in this endevour, whatever way you look at it."

We ended up just looking at the elf for I don't know how long, but we never really got an answer. He was just about to speak when we all ended up having to cover our ears, the ceiling tiles shaking and falling again.

"Oh crap, not again!" Yuan shouted.

"We have to move! Now!" Princeton snapped, having gotten out of his funk. "If we stay in one place too long we're as good as dead, let's move it!"

He dashed out of the small opening that lead to this room, his uncle running after him and we of course followed him. There was a lot of running involved in my life lately, it seemed like...but I was pretty much used to it at this point. What I wasn't used to, though, was...well, having the floor fail beneath me- again-...but this time I wasn't so lucky. Uhm, well, to put it simply I fell down by myself. I heard Martel shout for me but just then I heard another shriek. I looked up at the hole I'd fallen down and almost had a heart attack. A big tentacle swooped at me from the ceiling and I just barelhy dodged in time. It only took me a second to notice it was blue and had the same mana-signature as the thing from earlier.

So yeah, I kinda bolted after that.

I wasn't sure where I was going, I could barely see and my heart was pounding so hard I couldn't even hear myself think. Part of me knew that I was just getting more lost- and even further way from everyone else- but it's not like I had any other choice. It was either un or get disintegrated by the jell-from-hell. After a few minutes I slowed a bit, and thank to gods I didn't see it behind me.

"Hff...hff...whew," I smiled in relief, "I got out of that-..."

I heard cracking underneath me.

"Oh you have got to be freaking kidding me-!"

The floor collapsed under me again.

I fell for a lot longer than I did last time, and I was starting to panic. Unless I lucked out and landed on something soft, I was going to get splattered like a bug against the wall! But what could I do? Unlike Lartan, I didn't have wings, so I was pretty much royally fucked if there was nothing waiting for me down there but stone. To my surprise, I didn't land on or in something...but on someone.

"Ah-!"

"Oof-!"

I sat up, trying to get my thoughts straight and saw that I had landed on top of (I was a bit shocked honestly) one of the 'guards' from the village. Not only that, but the tunnels down here were all lit very well, like with mana and stuff.

"Get off me-!"

"Huh-? Oh! Shit, sorry!"

I scrambled off the man, who groaned and sat up, rubbing the back of his head. He turned to look at me, frowning deeply.

"Kid, how did you get in here? It's dangerous," he scoffed.

"Yeah, trust me I know," I said, nervously glancing back up where I had fallen, "I- Wait, what are YOU doing here?"

"..."

"Hey, Ray, who's the kid?"

I looked behind me and saw there was actually a whole group of them, and they were all staring at me like I was the weirdest thing they'd ever seen. What were they all doing down here? Not to mention this entire hall looked...clean, maintained, you know- like it was used a lot. There wasn't nearly as much dust and debris as higher up or anything. That and if they bothered to string the lights in here...

"...What's going on?" I asked slowly, looking around at them. "You...guys are here a lot, aren't you? What are you doing down here?"

"Uh..." 'Ray' started.

"Should we get the boss?" one asked.

"About a kid? Don't bother," another shook his head.

Then he pointed his mana-gun at me.

"Let's just kill him and get it over with."

As many times as I had been in danger in the past few months, this still didn't fail in making my heart stop. Oh SHIT!

"W- What-!? Wait! Why would you-!? I didn't do anything to you, and aren't you guys supposed to be- protecting the town or something!? What's going on-?"

"Now now, put the gun down, let's not be mean to a guest," I heard a woman say.

The guards separated a bit and I saw the woman stepping toward us. The guy behind me grabbed my arms, to hold me still. I tried to get free but then I stopped when I realized I knew who this woman was. In the lights her hair had this rather creepy sheen to it, but that wasn't half as scary as her eyes. She had this look like a cat about to snatch a canary, and I just knew that something really really bad was going on.

"Now then, you're Mithos, aren't you?" she smiled down at me. "Now what are you doing down here without your sister and your cute friends, hm?"

"S- Soilleille-?" I stammered, gaping at her.

If my gut hadn't told me already know I just KNEW that something bad was going on- despite all the 'we could get eaten any second' stuff. What were these people doing down in the ruins? She smiled and walked closer, smiling down at me.

"You're a cute little boy, aren't you?" she chuckled. "But more than that, you're a half-elf, aren't you?"

My eyes widened.

"W- What? No- I don't know what you're talking about-"

Shit! How did she know?! She wasn't a half-elf, was she?! No...she was human, but- but how-?

"Don't try to lie, sweetie, being what you are might save you this time," she smirked, standing up straight agian, "You see, you're just in time, I need a couple of half-elves down here..."

She snapped her fingers and the guards pointed the guns at me again.

"Be a good boy and we'll keep you alive, hmm?" she smirked.

Oh hell....Mae was right, she WAS a bitch.

**Hee hee n.n This could be fun :D I'm glad I managed to get back into this again, heh.**

**Review if I am worthy of the attention? lol n.n'**


	16. Chapter 16

**Well, here's the last chapter ****In the end I figured this would end up more a prologue to the actual journey, and as I may or may not have said I discovered some Kharlan-facts that didn't fit with this take on it -_-' I'm sorry but I do hope I make this enjoyable enough and if you honestly wanna see me attempt a Kharlan-era fic I've got that 'Sir Lloyd' one :/ **

**That aside, I hope you've enjoyed it and I hope this chapter is as likeable as the thought of writing it is for me X3**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

I attempted to pull away from the guards, my wrists beginning to rub raw as they dragged me down one of those gods-forsaken hallways who knows where. I'd yet to see any of the others, however I kept hearing that ever so 'pleasant' roar of those demented blob thingies. For some reason neither Solleille or her little minions seemed to care that the monsters that could incinerate and/or drive you mad were in earshot- in fact unless it was just my imagination, we were actually getting…closer, to the sounds-

Oh come on!

"H- Hey! Where are we going? Can't you hear that? We do NOT want to-!"

"Shut up, half-elf!" a guard said, smacking me across the face.

"Now now, don't bruise him up too much," Solleille smirked, her eyes half-lidded as she looked back at me, "We need him."

"Need me?"

"Be quiet," she said without changing her tone, turning her face forward again as she kept walking, "It doesn't mean I want to hear you yapping either."

"Grr…." I growled under my breath.

There had to be a way out of this, I didn't know what was going on but I knew for sure it wasn't anything I was going to like. Where were Martel and the others? I hoped those machiki things didn't…no, no I couldn't think that. They were all right, they had to be all right.

"Well, we're here," I heard her say with a slight chuckle.

"We're whe-?"

I looked up as we rounded the corner and my jaw dropped.

We had entered a large cavern of sorts, with some flooring and wall from the rest of the ruins stretching out to into it, much like a dock, seeing as under the corroding stone ceiling there was a large pool of water- though it was more like a lake. A big underground lake. As stunning as that was, however, that's not exactly what freaked me out. We did was that along the lakeside were several large cages of sorts, made from mana, and there were several things huddled into little balls inside them- little being relative, of course, the actual things were huge blobs…and judging on the sounds they kept making, were in fact Machiki like the ones we had ran into earlier.

"W- What the-?" I gasped, my eyes going wide. "You- you trapped those things? How did-?"

"You can cast spells and manipulate mana, can't you?" Solleille asked, turning her head and glancing down at me.

"W- well yeah, but-?"

"Good, observe," she stated, walking forward to the nearest cage.

I wondered briefly what the hell she thought she was doing before she held her hand out toward it…then clenched her fingers suddenly, the blob inside the cage letting out a screech and twisting in on itself, as if some invisible hand had grabbed it around the middle and squeezed-…wait…

"W- wait a minute! You did that? How did you-?" I stammered.

"It's easy enough, it's just like manipulating mana in spells, though a bit harder," she smirked, looking back at me, "Machiki are basically mana at any rate, it's an easy enough trick. Now then…release him."

The men holding me let me go and I had barely contemplated running when she grabbed my collar and dragged me forward toward the cage.

"H- Hey! Let go-!"

"You see it, boy?" she smirked. "You can control the movements of these creatures too, with the right knowledge, being a half-elf. So here's your choice….you help me out here and I won't kill you, how does that sound?"

"…Help with…what?" I trailed, glancing up at her. "How did you even manage to do that, anyway? You're not an elf or a-?"

"Of course not," she shrugged, "I'm more like your Kratos friend."

"Kratos? But he's just a human-"

She laughed, throwing her head back and letting her voice echo off the walls, sending shivers up my spine and I'm almost certain making the machiki shudder themselves.

"Perhaps that's what you think, and maybe that's what he thinks, even," she smirked, her eyes narrowed, "But I can tell my own kind…there aren't many of us left anymore, after all."

"What are you…talking about….?"I whispered, stunned.

"That doesn't matter, and as for your first question, here's what I want you to do," she said, her face suddenly serious, "I want you to help me move these things where I want them, understood? Mainly being so they all congregate in that lake. ….You do know where that lake connects, don't you, boy?"

I blinked and looked over to the large body of water past the cages, not quite sure what it was she meant, though a realization was slowly coming over me, I didn't put it together before she told me outright.

"That's the source of the river water in the village," she said, "The 'disease' everyone is suffering from is nothing other then mana poisoning from the Machiki, who drink from this lake. Do you get it now?"

My jaw dropped.

"T- Then- wait! If that's the case then why do you want more of the poison in the water? Wont' that just kill more pe-?"

I cut off, staring at her. Her expression told me enough. She wanted that; she wanted more people to die, for what gods-forsaken reason? I didn't know, but I knew she was clearly intent on purposefully polluting the water supply and wiping out as many people as possible.

"And if it does? What does it matter to you? They're human," she shrugged, her eyes glinting, "You're a half-elf, you have enough mana in your being to not be driven mad from their toxins- in water, at least, as do elves, why should you worry? They're not your race."

"B- But- but aren't you human? Why would you-?"

"Oh yes, we didn't cover that did we?" she frowned slightly, though I couldn't help but get the feeling she was amused. "Allow me to show you."

There was a burst of mana from her back and my heart stopped. Two vibrant green wings flourished from Soellielle's back, resting behind her briefly before they began to flutter mindlessly once more. An angel-? B- but she didn't have a hi-exsphere, did she? But Lartan didn't have one either if I remembered right- but wait, why would she say she wasn't human? She was still human originally, if that was the case, right-?

"A hi-exsphere can be used to mutate a person into a…..pseudo, angel of sorts," she explained, frowning a bit, "However, angels are no invention of science. We've been around since as long as these beings have been around, though as I mentioned to you earlier we are very rare."

"Wait, so you mean….angels are…real?" I stared at her.

"Yes as a matter of fact," she smirked, "However we don't serve the gods as the myth goes, more we're…a more superior race, you could say. However, being an angel alone I can't control all of these Machiki, but a half-elf should be able to at least get the job done-"

"W- Wait! I don't understand! Why are you doing this? Why would you want to kill all those people? Why-?"

"The mana is going to be exhausted soon, if this war keeps up!" she snapped, glaring at me. "The entire planet will die if that happens, because these stupid humans want to keep warring over who knows WHAT anymore! I'm ending this war, and the biggest killer in war is disease, did you know? If the humans are susceptible to mana poisoning, then so be it! I'll use whatever is most efficient! If I have to kill every human on this planet to save it, I will!"

….What I had done hadn't been too much different, had it? We thought alike, didn't we? Save the world by killing everyone...but then why did-? Why at that time, did this make me so mad? Why did it seem so wrong then, but I did it later? What had….

"You can't do that!" I shouted. "They're innocent people! You can't just-!"

She snapped her fingers and a guard had a blade at my neck.

"Either you can help me or you can die alongside them, half-elf," she said, her eyes narrowed on me.

"I- but- but your troops are human! Why would they-?"

"Easy, the same deal I'm making you," she shrugged, "They help me and I help them, I'll acquire hi-exspheres for all those who pledge their loyalty to me, they shall become 'angels' and survive with us in return for their services."

"But this is wrong-!"

"I'll ask you one more time, brat, help me or you can die," she hissed, glaring at me.

I flinched and withdrew from the blade at my neck, my mind racing. What was I going to do? No way would I help this crazy bitch, but dying didn't sound too appealing to me either. I had to find a way to get out of here, to find Martel and the others-

"Oh, I believe your friends have found us," Soellielle smirked, turning her head to the side.

Almost on cue, and explosion of lightning boomed from the back off the cavern, several guards dropping dead as Yuan backed up for Kratos and Lartan to hack down a few of the men still standing.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Soellielle crowed, nearly grinning. "I've got your little half-elf boy here, in case you haven't realized!"

She grabbed the blade from the guard and pressed it closer to my throat this time, making it so I barely could breathe without touching the blade. Damn it! Why was I always the one getting threatened? Ugh! I was so useless!

"Mithos-!" I heard Martel cry.

"Drop your weapons, I don't see a reason why we have to fight each other," Soellielle said, "After all, all of you could be great assets to this cause…."

"This 'cause'?" scoffed Princeton, though he still dismissed the mana he had been gathering for a spell.

"What are you doing with the Machiki?" Vernon cried, adjusting his glasses as he gaped at the scene. "Nothing good can come from-!"

"Oh hush, you're the one that let them out, Vernon," Soellielle smirked, "Thank you very much for that service, by the way….I was right to hire you for the job."

"What-?" I stared.

"I- I had no idea this was your intention!" Vernon shouted, flustered. "If I had known that you were planning to contaminate the water supply, I never would have-!"

"Perhaps not, but the fact is you did make it possible," she said, "Now then, Vernon, you can make yourself useful again and help…or your research can be published posthumous."

"You twisted-" Kratos growled.

"Now now, handsome," she winked, "What do you care about the humans anyway? You're one of us, after all….or did your darling brother and sister not tell you yet?"

Kratos hesitated.

"Tell me what?"

Lartan intensified his glare on Soellielle but didn't move, Mae just bit her lip and glanced aside as Martel and the others looked at them, confused.

"Oh I suppose they didn't," she smirked, "You and your siblings are just like me, I assume you've noticed the wings, hm?"

To accent her words she gave the emerald appendages a flap, smirking widening as her eyes narrowed.

"That's because we're all angels," she said, "Myself, your brother, your sister…you. You must know by now, that your mana is different."

Kratos' eyes widened and he looked at Lartan and Mae, who ignored him.

"Angels-? But what do you mean, neither Mae or myself-"

"Not those kind of angels you idiot," Soellielle scoffed, "The real angelic race, the race that existed at the dawn of time…I'm sure you've seen some evidence of them, hm?"

The light flicked on in my head.

"Th- that mural!" I blurted, staring at my friends and sister. "That thing that made you act all weird! That must've had something to do with-"

"Yes," Lartan cut in stiffly, "Kratos was affected by it because he didn't know what it was, Mae and I already knew it to be of our species."

Everyone jolted.

"W- what? You mean it's true?" Yuan snapped, though he was staring in shock still.

"What it was?" Martel stared.

"A relic of our civilization, as is this entire structure," Soellielle said, flourishing her arm around, "All the murals in this structure act as communication lines of sorts with an equally ancient race…the Machiki."

My eyes widened.

"W- What? These things? You mean you can TALK to these things-? Then why don't you just use those to move them where you want, huh? Why do you need us?"

"I tried talking to them," she spat, "They wouldn't listen."

She gestured her head toward the wall on the side of the entrance, where I noticed another mural with a painted symbol a lot like the one Kratos had weirded out to earlier.

"Well gee, I wonder why the giant blobs of death would listen to you," Yuan said flatly.

"I'll force their cooperation just as I'll force yours if need be," she glared, "Now, help me drown these damn things or I'll throw you to them instead."

My eyes darted along them, seeing their reactions. Lartan kept glaring, Mae was looking at the ground, Martel was looking at me with the most worried expression I'd ever seen and everyone on the whole looked on edge and a bit afraid. Except Kratos, who was staring blankly at Soellielle-…oh hell this just hit me. He was an angel. So was Mae, they both had to be…damn it, no wonder Kratos was out of it!

"Well?" she hissed, getting impatient.

She wasn't looking at me, I had an opportunity to do something, didn't I? I could do something here, I knew I could, but then what? Get slaughtered by her minions? I had to do something but I had to be smart about it…I needed a way to get free and distract all the others-…Then….there was a console in arms reach, attached to a cage…and I was guessing that big red button was the thing that dropped the mana cage-

…Okay so much for doing something SMART but I didn't have too many other options.

I jumped back and slammed my hand on the red button, hoping to the gods I didn't just damn us all. I heard someone yell- maybe it was me, maybe everyone, as the wall holding in one large blob of death dissipated and it let out its standard shriek.

"You idiot-! Are you insane?" Soellielle shrieked herself.

The wall of translucent mana disappeared and the captive Machiki rushed forward, which I assumed was my cue to run like hell. I ran like a frightened squirrel toward Martel and the others as the blob thing gushed out like wave of water, practically right on my heels. I gasped and tried to run faster but it was no use, it was closing in on me and-….it went around me. My feet skidded to a halt as the mass of mana simply gushed around me, splitting behind me and converging in front of me to leave me untouched in a little pocket as it rushed forward. Others weren't so lucky; though I couldn't see them I could hear people screaming, thankfully no voices I recognized. I stared dumbly at the gelatinous walls that enclosed me, unsure what was going on. ….It….left me alone?

"Mithos!"

I turned my head just as the Machiki passed by me, leaving me untouched as it began to thrash around and engulf Soellielle's men. Martel was running toward me, untouched as well, Yuan, Kratos and some of the others fighting what men had decided to charge them to get to the exit.

"Oh thank goodness you're all right!" Martel sighed in relief.

"That was stupid as hell," Mae scoffed, running up behind her, "…But it worked so let's get the hell out of here-"

"W- Wait! But we can't just leave these things caged up-" I began.

"If we do free them all they'll just keep messing with the water supply!" she scoffed at me. "Look, I realize you might feel bad for them but-"

"That one isn't attacking us!" I pointed at the Machiki I had freed. "S- She said you could talk to them through those murals, right? Mae, can you try that? They aren't hurting us! They're smart enough to realize what's going on! Maybe we can work something out!"

She stared at me a moment, then stared at the fighting going on between her brothers and the soldiers and the Machiki and the ones in its way. She sighed and shook her head, her eyes narrowed.

"All right, fine, I'll get to that mural," she said, "If we have any chance getting out of here we'll need the Machikis help, that thing can't go against Soellielle on its own if she can manipulate mana-"

"She can, I saw it," I said.

"…Well hell," she groaned as the Machiki screeched, "All right, hurry up and let the others out! I'll get to the mural!"

As Martel and I ran for the next cage we heard Soellielle swear loudly right before the blob let out a pained shout, like it was writing like a dying beast. Mae was right, it couldn't hold up too long, and I was guessing Soellielle wasn't going to hesitate about killing all of us now. I made a dash for the next cage and slammed down the red button, the two beings racing out as had the one I had freed earlier, rushing for Soellielle's troops. After the way was clear I ran for another cage- and this time was knocked into the ground.

"Ah-!"

"You little BRAT!"

A hand grabbed me by the hair and jerked me up, tugging my scalp up. I attempted to break free of the person's grip and found a blade at my neck once again, opening my eyes to see Soellielle standing with her wings still flourishing behind her, ready to slit my throat. I heard Martel cry out and Soellielle knocked her away, I watched as she hit the ground.

"I was going to let them kill you, it would have been painless, you know," she hissed, "but for this? No, I'm going to kill you for this you-"

"Lightning!" I heard Yuan call.

She flinched and jumped aside, her grip loosening just a bit…but it was enough. I broke free and turned with my sword and before I even realized what had happened, I had stabbed her through the gut. I choked as her eyes widened, staggering back from me. She fell backwards just as a Machiki rushed up behind her, swallowing her and dissolving her body into nothing.

* * *

My eyes snapped open and as with the nights before for a minute it took me some effort to remember what was going on. I groaned and sat upright in bed, shaking my head. How long was this going to keep going? What time was it anyway? Why did I wake up in the middle of the night-?

"Are you all right, Lloyd?"

I turned my head and saw Dad looking at me from the window, where he had probably been looking at the stars. It wasn't too bright but I managed to lock eyes with him, and at that second I had a million and one things I wanted to say. So I just said the first one that came to mind.

"What happened after that?" I said.

"…Pardon-?"

"A- After that angel lady got killed by Mithos," I said, "and the Machiki were everywhere, what happened after that?"

"…You've seen that then," he sighed, closing his eyes.

"Yeah…" I trailed, looking at him.

"There is no point in my telling you, as I'm sure you will see the rest of it-"

"But I want to know!" I said, glaring a bit. "I- I mean- what there were blob-mana things, you were all trapped in a room with them and- and that part about being-"

"Angels?" he cut me off, glancing at me sadly.

I flinched.

"I- ….was that true? What she said? Were there really angels before all the ones with the Cruxis Crystals?" I frowned, but still looked at him.

"…" Dad nodded, "The reason Mae had such a similar mana structure to pure mana was because she was an angel, as was my brother and myself. As Soellielle said, there were very few of us left…I believe my family and Soellielle herself were the only 'real' angels I've ever encountered. Most of them married in with humans and elves, their offspring were not angels so the race dwindled."

It was kinda a lot to take in, so I guess it wasn't too bad that I just stared at him for a minute. So that meant that Dad was…it didn't matter, though, right? I was still me, I was an angel now yeah but that was because of my exsphere…it was a little strange of course but it wasn't important. Still…

"So like…were they around before the Kharlan Tree?" I asked, trying to think of something else.

He shook his head.

"As old as the race is they do not predate the tree, or the protozoans, but they do predate the elves arrival."

"S- So what happened after she died?" I said, getting back to my first question.

"…" he sighed, "After Mithos killed her, my sister had managed to make contact with them through the mural. It was a bit difficult for her but she managed to talk to them."

"Yeah, and? What did you do? You couldn't leave them alone with the water right? Because of the toxins or whatever?"

"Mae told them the situation with the town and how people were becoming ill because of them, and she asked if there was any possible way they could find a water source other than the one they drank from."

"Uh huh?" I nodded, still looking at him.

"…The Machiki didn't see a reason to listen to her," he sighed.

"S- So what-?" I began.

"Then Mithos spoke up," he said flatly, frowning, "…He spoke in a way much like you do, Lloyd…said it was wrong for them to keep doing something if it hurt people, things to that effect."

I stared at him as he closed his eyes, letting out a slow sigh.

"It was…truly inspirational," he said.

I didn't really know what to say to that.

"Mae conveyed Mithos' words- you see, the Machiki didn't speak our language but they were intelligent enough to realize he had said something…that they wanted to hear," he frowned, "They asked Mae to tell them what Mithos had said. She was a bit wary at first, but apparently they promised they would not be angered- that is what she relayed to us at any rate. She told them what Mithos had said…and they agreed to find someplace else."

"So what about that Vernon guy-?"

"He said that he would help them locate a place, as he blamed himself for the whole instance," he frowned, "The Machiki seemed to trust him, mainly because of the fact it was he who released them."

"So…it all worked out then, huh?" I smiled lightly.

"If it hadn't I'm certain you would have heard of a 'maddening' disease, yes?" he raised an eyebrow at me.

"...w- well yeah, I guess-…yeah," I muttered sheepishly.

Well duh, it was the past, right? I t had to have worked out- but what do I know, those things might have died out by now anyway- ….at least I'd never heard of them. …Maybe I should avoid mountains just in case.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this," he said.

"Huh? Well it wasn't your fault-"

"Perhaps if I had been faster I would have stopped you from nearly getting possessed," he sighed, "I failed you, as I always do."

"Oh shut up," I huffed, "If you 'always failed me' I wouldn't be alive, right?"

"…."

He looked at me a moment and for a second I wondered if I said something wrong. I wasn't sure what that expression was but after a minute he smirked and shook his head.

"Try to get some rest, Lloyd, I realize it's not quite restful anymore but you do need sleep."

"Well technically I don't need sleep anymore, do I?" I frowned.

"…"

"But it's either that or stay up all night," I shrugged, "besides…I want to see what happens next…"

"You're acting like you're watching a play, Lloyd," he shook his head.

"It's one of those 'coping' things the Professor talks about maybe," I said.

"…"

"What?"

"Just get some sleep Lloyd."

"…Dad?" I asked slowly.

"Yes?" he said.

"I know that seeing all this might change the way I look at all that…" I frowned, "at Mithos and Martel and everything…but it won't make me hate you, all right?"

He stared at me.

"Why would you say that?" he asked.

"Well you always seem worried that I'll hate you, because I…did used to and all," I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck, "But…all that's the past, just like all this is…so I won't hate you, I won't change my mind about you. I know you've done bad things but you've already tried to make up for them and you've already admitted them. …So…I just thought I should let you know."

He stared at me again, and I wasn't really sure what I should do. After a minute or two he let out that light 'heh' he does when he smirks.

"…Go to bed, Lloyd," he said, looking out the window again.

"Jerk," I smiled a bit.

And I think I might've made him smile too.

* * *

"Wow, it's huge!"

After a lot of traveling the capital was finally in sight. I couldn't help but grin at the sight when Yuan and Martel stared up at it in shock. I thought the other city was big but this place was colossal.

"It's been a while," Lartan smirked to himself.

"Yup," Mae smiled.

"Wow, I can't wait to look around," Martel said, smiling her sunny smile.

"It's not that cool…" Yuan muttered.

At that time I'd thought our journey was over. We'd made it to where we were supposed to go, and Lartan and Mae would stay here, as the rest of us had planned to do. Instead…shortly after our arrival we left again, me, my sister, Yuan and Kratos- and Noishe, of course. We'd leave and start our own journey, making pacts, trying to find a way to stop the war. I'd been prepped for an adventure from our earlier excursions, and I think if what happened at the ruins hadn't happened, I probably wouldn't have had the confidence I did when we started off again. I'd finally done something right, as stupid as it looked while I was doing it, and I couldn't help but be proud of that. I had done something good, I had saved people and still hadn't hurt the Machiki while doing it. I was so hopeful about ending the war…at that moment, everything looked bright.

I wish I could….feel that way again…

**Well that's the end, it's been fun, and again I'm sorry if it was too short for your likings ****I'm gonna do a real Kharlan fic, again as mentioned, in that 'Sir Lloyd' one. This one hopefully should be better as I actually have some facts to work with n.n That aside I hope you liked this fic and it was fund while it lasted n.n**

**Thanks for reading!**


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